Distant Memories
by Griffin Stone
Summary: When a crash and following explosion gives Keith amnesia and causes the rest of the team to think he is dead, Keith must team up with a nomadic rebel named Olia in search of his past.
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, if all goes well, I will be posting a new chapter every Saturday. This takes place between episodes, Stayin' Alive and Best Laid Plans. (Slav's little explosion did a fair amount of damage that needed to be fixed.) I'm going to try to stay as canon as I can, so please let me know if you notice something inconsistent with the show. If possible, include a reference episode. Contains spoilers for seasons one and two, and spoilers as characters and places from seasons three and four make appearances or are mentioned.**

* * *

"Now?" Keith asked, drumming his fingers on Red's controls.

On his visor, Keith could see a rectangular pop-up showing Pidge, seated in Green. She was tapping away at a holographic screen in front of her, but paused to roll her eyes.

"No, Keith, I'll tell you when it's time," Pidge said. Under her breath, she muttered, "And I thought Lance was impatient."

Keith scowled and turned his attention to a section of Red's control panel, where a scanner showed all objects nearby.

There was a pair of large circles on the screen, signifying planets, and a cluster of smaller, purple dots that were Galra ships. A speck of red in the center showed where Red was hidden on the far side of one of the planets. The other planet was home to the Olkari, who was currently under the protection of Voltron.

A pop-up showing Hunk popped up in Keith's visor. "This is the third patrol in two days. Do you think the Galra are suspicious yet?"

Shiro appeared next. "If they suspected anything, the Olkari would be back under their control. The Galra pass through here a lot, anyway."

And, finally, Lance. Keith's visor was getting crowded.

"Just act like you don't see them," Lance said, as if he were an expert, though he had only played decoy for Voltron once. "And don't go too fast."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Keith said, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "No problem."

"Oh, and Keith?" Lance smirked. "Don't mess it up."

Keith scowled, but before he could respond, Pidge yelled.

"Keith, go now!"

The other paladins disappeared from view as Keith gripped Red's controls. Now things would get interesting.

Keith flew Red out from behind the planet, pretending to not see the Galra patrols that were barely in sight. He flew just slow enough to make it seem like he just happened to be passing through, which turned out to be harder than he thought it would. It took a lot of self-control to not turn around and take on the ships himself.

Pidge re-appeared on Keith's visor. "They've spotted you. Wait as long as you can, then take off. The rest of us are waiting."

"Got it."

Keith kept an eye on the scanner, watching the purple dots get closer and closer. A shudder went through Red.

"I know, I don't like this, either," Keith said. "But we have to get them further away from the Olkari."

The plan was, to prevent the Galra from finding out the Olkari were currently free from their control, to redirect any Galra patrols away from the planet with a decoy lion, then battling the Galra far enough away from the planet to avoid suspicion. The plan had been working so far, but every day that the Olkari continued work on the giant teleduv Voltron would use to defeat Zarkon's army increased the risk of notice.

The ships were almost on them. Red roared, and Keith jerked the controls to the right, just in time to avoid the Galra tractor beam.

"Okay, let's go!" Keith exclaimed, slamming on the thrusters.

Red shot forward. The Galra ships increased speed, just as Keith knew they would, to follow.

Keith smiled. Everything was going according to plan.


	2. The Fight

The plan was falling apart.

It wasn't that the Galra hadn't followed Keith into the trap, quite the opposite. They had fallen easily -too easily- for the trick. They had followed Keith right to where the other paladins waited in the shadows of a forested planet.

No, the problem is that they brought reinforcements.

"I think they've caught on!" Lance yelped as Blue narrowly dodged the blasts of the small Galra ships on his tail.

 _Boom!_

A laser shot from Red blew the ships to bit.

"You don't say," Keith said sarcastically, maneuvering Red expertly around another group of fighters.

"Let's just finish up here and head back to the Olkari," Shiro said. "Hopefully, the Galra have not realized that we have mainly been redirecting them from the planet."

"More Galra incoming!" Pidge called.

Yellow smashed a couple of ships, then spun around. Hunk groaned at the sight of a large fleet rapidly growing closer.

Like the first batch of Galra, this was mainly the small, drone-flown fighters. There were a couple of larger cruisers that were a bit of a concern, but not too bad.

"It's like they're just stalling us," Hunk worried.

"That's what I am afraid of," Shiro said grimly. "So far, Allura and Coran haven't spotted anything suspicious around the planet, but we should get back as soon as we can. The teladuv is nearly complete. We can't risk the Galra finding it now.

"Hey, look at that ship!" Pidge said, pointing with Green in the direction off to the left of the approaching ships.

The ship Pidge was talking about was bulky and long. It moved the more slowly than any Galra ship the paladins had seen, and seemed to purposefully be staying outside the fight.

"Maybe a supply ship," Shiro said, barely sparing the harmless-looking ship a glance. "It's possible that this group of Galra was just moving supplies and happened to be in the area."

"What are the chances that it's a prisoner ship?" Pidge asked.

"We can find out once we finish off these ships," Shiro said.

"Yeah, that thing isn't going anywhere anytime soon," Hunk said.

Having decided the ship was of no concern, the paladins turned to the fighters speeding toward them.

Which, as it turned out, was a very bad idea.

The lions were moving towards the fighters, when Red rumbled and shifted. She slowed to a stop. Keith pushed on the hand controls, but Red wasn't going anywhere.

"What is it, Red?" Keith murmured, frustrated that she wouldn't join the fight.

Red roared, then there was a dull _boom_. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw something come flying out of the "supply ship." He wretched Red around, and saw three long metal cables speeding through space. They were headed for Shiro!

"Shiro, look out!" Keith yelled.

Red shot forward, slamming into Black hard enough to knock her out of the way of the cables.

It wasn't, however, enough to get Red to safety as well.

Keith was jolted forward as Red was struck from behind. Metal thumped, screeched, and groaned at the cables wrapped themselves tightly around Red.

"Keith!" Shiro yelled, having seen what Keith had saved him from.

The lions ahead of Red turned, but another round of cables and a regrouping of the cruisers had them surrounded, cutting them off from their tangled companion.

Panting from the hit, Keith straightened in his seat. Red was drifting sideways in space. Keith grabbed and wriggled the hand controls, but Red was too tightly wrapped to move. He glanced up and saw the other paladins' dilemma.

"Go on! We'll be fine!"

The lions hesitated, then turned back to the fight. Shiro waited the longest, but finally turned to aid in the fight.

"We'll be fine," Keith said, this time to himself. His visor glowed, then expanded to enclose his whole face. Keith stood. "Open up. I'll cut you free," he told Red.

Red rumbled, but didn't open the hatch for Keith.

"Come on, Red," Keith persisted. "Don't you want-"

Red rumbled again, but Keith realized she wasn't communicating this time. A second, stronger shudder ran through the ship. An orange-ish glow lit up Red's viewing ports.

It took Keith seconds to realize what had happened.

The fight had been taking place just above the planet's atmosphere. The force of the cables hitting Red had knocked her close enough to enter.

Keith jumped back into his seat. He yanked back on the controls. If Red couldn't get moving, there would be nothing to stop their free-fall!

Red roared as loudly as her wrapped up mouth would allow. Hunk heard and turned Yellow. He quickly realized what was happening as he saw Red pick up momentum and glow brighter.

"Keith!" Hunk yelled. Yellow started forward, but a barrage of laser blasts cut her off.

The other paladins turned briefly from the fight. The Galra were intent on keeping the paladins separated, though, so they could only watch at Red fell further and further away.


	3. The Crash

**A/N: Is there any way to add characters to the chart where you choose the MC for the story? Does that make any sense? Basically, there is a character who I would like to add the place where major characters are shown when you see the synopsis.**

 **When the paladins are around each other, they use Earth time phrases, but use the alien version around others.**

* * *

"Keith! Keith, talk to me, bud."

Keith groaned and peeked open an eye. For a moment, he stared blearily at the control panel the side of his face rested on. Then both eyes snapped open and he jolted up. He grimaced and pressed a hand to his side, where he had hit the panel.

"Keith!" came Shiro's voice.

Keith looked down to see Shiro on one of the panel's screen. His face was a mask of relief, as he had only been able to see a bit of Keith's shoulder while the boy was unconscious.

"Shiro? Wha-" Keith blinked. "How are you guys?!"

Shiro shook his head with a wry grin. "I'm not the one who crashed. How is Red?"

Keith glanced around the cockpit. The overhead light still glowed steadily, and there wasn't any alarms blaring. Outside the view port, Keith could see a mound of dirt Red had plowed up in the crash and a thick forest. Red rumbled and shifted slightly, but the cables must have still had her wrapped up.

"She's fine, just kind of stuck. I'll get her free and we'll head up to help." Keith stood, but couldn't hold back a wince at the pain in his side.

"No, you don't. We're fine up here. We have the Galra busy, so you won't have to worry about them. We'll get there as soon as we can, then get you back to the Castle and into a healing pod." Shiro signed off as soon as he was talking, possibly because he was preoccupied by the fight, but probably to cut off any argument Keith would give.

Keith scowled. "He doesn't just expect me to sit here, does he?"

Red rumbled, most likely telling Keith that was just what he should do.

Keith, of course, didn't listen. Past the crackly static in his helmet- it must have struck the control panel in the crash- he could hear the sounds of battle. He didn't want to be left here, while the others fought!

With a bit of persistence, Keith convinced Red to open the cockpit. He scrambled out, relieved to find the pain in his side had settled into a dull ache. Nothing broken, just bruised.

Keith turned and saw the path of trees and brush Red had uprooted as she crashed and skidded across the ground. It was a like a miniature valley with so much dirt shoved aside. Red's back half had dragged the most and was buried in dirt, while her front half rested mostly above-ground.

"Well," Keith said after a moment of awe. "Let's get you free."

* * *

Keith yelled and swung his sword at the cable wrapped around Red's head. It clanged against the cable and glanced off. It didn't leave a dent, like the last dozen times.

Panting, Keith leaned against the side of Red's head. It was hot wearing his whole armor, but he didn't dare remove it in case Galra landed and he had to fight. He couldn't even remove his helmet.

While staking out planets to use as stages for ambushes, Pidge had not only scanned the planets for life-forms, but also how habitable the atmosphere was for humans. This planet was uninhabited except for some animals. The air was almost perfect, but a bit thin on oxygen. With how hard he was breathing, Keith knew he shouldn't take off his helmet.

Red groaned, unhappy with her restraints.

"I'm trying," Keith said, shaking his head. "But my bayard just isn't sharp enough. That's a first," Keith muttered to himself.

Red rumbled.

 _Blade_

Keith suddenly had the idea to use his Marmoran blade. He turned to Red in surprise. Had she just told him that?

Keith grinned as he climbed to the top of Red's head, using the criss-crossed cables for foot holds. He must have hit his head. The lions sometimes gave emotions or feelings, but they had never outright suggested something like that.

He dropped onto the pilot seat, then reached under to where he normally stashed his blade. He frowned when his hand found nothing. He knelt on the floor to look underneath, but still didn't find it.

Realizing it must have slid someplace else, Keith crawled around the cockpit until he finally found the blade wedged behind the console.

Keith climbed out of the cockpit and awakened the blade. He swung at a cable experimentally, and sliced halfway through before the blade stopped.

"That's more like it," Keith said with a grin.

* * *

"Keith is out of Red, and working to free Red," Pidge sighed.

Her eyes darted from Green's view ports to her control panel. There were trackers in each of the paladins' helmets that monitored their movements and vitals, and Pidge had the duty of keeping an eye on her companions.

"Is anyone really that surprised?" Hunk asked as Yellow batted a fighter into a collision course with another.

"I would be more concerned if he _had_ stayed put," Shiro said.

"What are you talking about Keith for?!" Lance yelled, a bit hysterically, as Blue flew in fast dips, turns, and corkscrews. "He's not playing decoy for the flingers!"

The ship whose cables had ensnared Red- which Lance had named "flingers"- was moving shockingly fast. It kept up with every one of Blue's movements and threw cables Blue could barely dodge every few seconds.

"Be right there," Shiro said calmly as he and Pidge finished off the last Galra cruiser.

An alarm chimed on Pidge's console. "Another fleet incoming."

Shiro's voice turned slightly terse. "Then we will make this fast."

Fighters buzzed around the lions, but Hunk managed to keep them far enough away from the others. Shiro positioned Black a short distance from where Lance was distracting the flingers.

"Okay, Lance. Lead those ships toward me. Veer off as late as you can. I'll distract them, and you three take out the ship."

Blue curved a path toward Black, Lance eager to get the flinger off his tail. Too eager. Intent on reaching Black, Lance had forgotten to maintain his haphazard flight path. He heard a yell from Hunk, then Blue jerked and lurched to a halt.

"Gah! What happened?!" Lance yelled as Blue flailed.

"Blue got hit by the cables," Shiro said, rushing Black to push Blue away from another attack from the flingers. Once they were out of danger, Black turned back to their attackers.

Blue finally positioned herself so Lance could see the cable wrapped around her bottom half. Luckily, her forelegs were free, so Blue immediately started tugging at the cables.

"I got you!" Lance heard Hunk call.

Yellow flew into view. She used her forepaws to steady Blue, then ripped the cables away. Yellow released Blue, and Lance experimentally wriggled her limbs.

"We're good. Thanks, Hunk!"

Yellow turned to where Black and Green were distracting the flinger. "Let's take that thing down before it gets anyone else."

"I've got a plan," Lance said.

* * *

Moments later, the lions were in position.

Green and Black shot in different directions. The flinger turned to follow Black, totally unprepared for a blue blast to come from below. The blast struck the center of the hold, freezing it solid. Before the Galra could recover, Yellow sped from the right and slammed her armored back into the ship. With a massive screech of metal, the ship's hull folded in on itself. Several explosions rocked the crumpled ship.

"Ha ha! It worked!" Lance said with a triumphant laugh.

Hunk whooped and circled Yellow around to follow Blue heading back to Black and Green.

A second later, their exhilaration evaporated at a panicked shout from Shiro.

"Keith! The ship is falling towards the planet!"

* * *

Keith had Red's head freed and was just moving on to her forelegs when the crackled shouts of his teammates suddenly turned frantic. He froze, but the words were too unclear to him.

Turning from his work, Keith scrambled onto one of the dirt mounds surrounding Red. He figured that if he got higher, the voices would strengthen. He hauled himself to the mound's top on his hands and knees. A single voice, Shiro's, came in loud and clear.

"Get under cover! The ship is going to crash!"

Keith became aware of a rumbling sound he hadn't differentiated from the previous sounds of battle. His head jerked up.

A ship, awash in the flames caused by the friction of entering the planet's atmosphere, barreled towards the ground less than a mile away. It would impact in seconds!

Keith jumped to his feet and turned to leap down to Red, but that was as far as he got.

A ground-shaking crash shook Keith. He wobbled, arms flailing for balance. The force of the crash and explosions hit him a second later, throwing the red paladin with such force that he soared over Red.

It all happened to quickly for Keith to even activate his jetpack.

He spun head over heels, then crashed upside-down into the trunk of a tree hard enough to crack his armor -and probably crack some ribs- and fling off his helmet. He let out a grunt, vision flickering.

Keith seemed to hover, five feet off the ground, against the trunk for a moment before gravity took over. He yelped, then his head hit a rock. Keith fell silent as his body crumpled to the ground and the world turned black.


	4. Panic

Red roared in panic and frustration at the sight of her fallen paladin. She grabbed the cables around her forelegs in her powerful jaws and ripped it away with a screech of metal She flung it away, then dragged herself out of the gouge. Her back half was still wrapped up and half buried, but Red was more concerned about Keith.

Keith was already shifting and groaning when Red leaned over him. She purred and put a paw at his side.

Keith slowly pushed himself onto his elbows. He hissed in pain and pressed a hand to his side, but kept going until he was kneeling. He looked at the ground blankly, back to Red. One hand was loosely wrapped around his Marmoran blade, which had shrunk back to dagger size when Keith had been thrown.

Red rumbled in concern. Keith flinched and whipped his head around. He stared up at Red with wide eyes. Red crouched and opened her mouth. It was time to take her paladin to the others.

Keith yelled and flung himself away from Red.

Red, thinking Galra were coming, drew herself sharply up. But no, the only Galra were currently fighting with the other lions, who were still too occupied with the latest fleet to come to Keith's aid. Rumbling uncertainly, Red turned back to Keith.

Keith was standing by then, but the horrified expression hadn't left his face. He was slowly backing up, staring up at something Red couldn't see. Red leaned forward, causing Keith to gasp. Red jerked away.

It was her. Keith was scared of _her._

Red crouched and opened her mouth. Maybe if he got inside…

Keith finally broke his stare, but it wasn't to board Red. He spun around and started to run. He rushed past his helmet, not even glancing at it.

Red roared. Thin voices crackled through the helmet, calling to him.

Keith never paused.

* * *

"Keith! Keith!" Shiro shouted. He pounded a fist on the console when he got no response. "Pidge, what are you seeing?"

Green was unmoving in space. Blue and Yellow circled her, giving Pidge the space and time she needed to check on Keith.

Pidge heard Shiro's question, but didn't respond. She stared unblinking at the glowing screen in front of her. There were five sections showing the body temperature, heart rate, and location of the other paladins, as well as a small diagram of their lions' actions.

In Keith's section, it was cooling, nothing, and still. Red was thrashing and clawing.

"Pidge!"

Pidge jumped and rubbed her eyes. "Shiro, I… I'm getting nothing."

There was a crash, and Black spun crazily from a hit Shiro had been too distracted to see. Black recovered, and Shiro demanded. "What do you mean?"

"Immediately after the explosion, Keith was thrown or something. He hasn't moved, and Red is freaking out."

"He could have been knocked out," Hunk pointed out.

Pidge closed her eyes. "He…"

"What is it?" Shiro asked, his tone nearing angry.

Pide swallowed, then blurted out, "I'm getting no vitals from him."

The lions froze in battle. It took several blasts from the fighters hitting the lions to get the pilots to shake off their shock. They resumed the fight, almost without thinking about their lions' actions.

"But that could only mean…" Hunk trailed off.

"There's got to be another explanation," Lance said, scowling at Hunk. "Maybe he took off his helmet?"

"Keith knew he would need to keep it on down there," Pidge said.

"But it's possible," Shiro interjected. "We need to get down there!"

* * *

Keith moved in a pained, jerky sprint. His head whipped back-and-forth in such a confused frenzy that if he wasn't following what seemed to be a small path, the roots and fallen tree branches that covered most of the ground would have tripped him by now.

" _Where am I?!"_ Keith thought desperately.

For some reason, the whole place felt off to him. There should be sand beneath his feet, not grass! Cacti, not bushes and trees. Nothing was familiar, yet at the same time, he couldn't figure out was "familiar" was supposed to look like.

Keith's sides burned, but he couldn't stop the rush of fear that kept his legs moving. Memory of the giant beast towering over him made him shudder. He had to get to safety, to…

" _Where?"_ Keith thought. He had a vague idea of a small wooden building but, like the sand and cacti, couldn't understand what was so important about it. All he could do was keep following the vague path and hope it led where he needed.

Finally, his foot caught on a root, sending him sprawling. The thick grass cushioned his fall, but the impact on his aching ribs still made him cry out.

He drew his legs and arms to his chest, preparing to push himself up. Before he even tried, though, he realized it would be futile.

He couldn't catch his breath. Every breath didn't seem to be filling his lungs like they should and his ribs hurt when he took bigger breaths, forcing him to take quick, shallow breaths that still made him feel light-headed. His arms shook if he tried to raise them, so there was little chance of his legs supporting him.

Keith reached a quivering hand out and gripped the dagger he had dropped when he tripped. He pulled it to his chest, the solid feel of the handle making him feel safer.

He would rest and, once he felt better, he would keep searching for… for the safety he couldn't name. Keith gave a heavy sigh, making him wince, and closed his eyes.

Several minutes passed. The only sounds were the wind through the trees and Keith's panting.

Something rustled in the distance. It got closer, catching Keith's attention and prompting him to open his eyes. He lifted his head slightly and raised his dagger in front of him as the sound steadily got closer.

He focused on calming his breathing and keeping his hand steady. For a tense moment, Keith's entire frame was still.

Then Keith's breathing hitched and he gave a hoarse cough. His dagger hand shook, then lost its grip. Keith shuddered, dropping his head to the ground just as a figure burst through the bushes and froze.

Through blurry eyes, Keith could only see it was crouched on all fours and was brown. Some sort of animal, it looked like.

"Get… back," Keith panted before his eyes closed and he went limp.

* * *

 **A/N: And... he's out again.**

 **To keep with the canon typical injuries, there was none of the usual head wound blood. It was a round rock.**


	5. A Changing of Paws

**A/N: This chapter was really fun to write, and introduces a barely-seen character that I loved from the start!**

* * *

The creature was a female alien named Olia. She was about Keith's size, and was rather dog-like in appearance. She was covered in short brown fur, with thicker, darker tuft on the top of her head that was mostly hidden by a brown cap with straps that extended to her shoulders. Tall brown ears perked forward at the sound of Keith's rapid, shallow breathing. She wore a green camo cloak and pants, but was bare-pawed. There was a clear breathing mask strapped the end of her long muzzle, with a hose leading to a small canister strapped over a bulging pack on her back.

While crouched on all fours at first, she quickly stood up on her hind paws and stepped to where Keith lay. She squatted and put a fore-paw - a more opposable version of an earth canine's- on Keith's forehead. Keith groaned, but that was the only response he gave.

Olia shook her head. "Crazy human. Didn't you think to bring a breathing mask?" She leaned back and surveyed Keith's dented and dirty armor. "What happened to you, anyway?"

An explosion from above seemed to answer Olia. Her head jerked up to where she could barely seen the four lions battling the Galra. She turned back to Keith. She pulled off her pack and started digging around inside while talking.

"However you got here, this isn't a good place to be. If another one of those ships crash, it could be on _us_ next time. Tell you what, you can come with me to my ship, and you can tell me where you need to go when you're ready. Deal?" Keith didn't respond, making Olia scrunch up her eyes. "Just hang in there. I've got a- ah-ha!"

She triumphantly held up another breathing mask and tank. She quickly secured the mask over Keith's mouth and twisted a dial on the side of the tank.

"There. Luckily for you, I always carry a spare." She patted Keith on the head as his breathing steadied. "You'll feel better in a minute."

Something crashed behind Olia. She spun around, whipping out a pistol she had concealed in her cloak, and found herself facing Red.

"Oh, great," she whimpered.

Red lowered her head directly in front of Olia, but didn't make any threatening moves.

"Um… hello," said Olia. Her eyes darted to the lions fighting in the sky, then back to the lion in front of her. "Are you with the others up there?"

Red shifted her head so she could see Keith.

Olia turned slightly. She looked between Keith and Red, eyes widening. "Is he yours?"

Red rumbled and stepped forward. Olia relaxed when Red seemed to be more concerned with Keith than her.

Olia's nose twitched as she took a small sniff of the lion. Besides the lingering scent of the boy, she could detect nothing but cold metal. So the lion wasn't alive. Was someone inside?

"I think he is fine. He just needed a breathing mask. Why didn't you give him one?" asked Olia. She directed her words toward Red's eyes, figuring that was the most likely spot for the pilot to be watching from.

Red moved her head right to Keith's side and opened her mouth. Olia waited, but no one came out.

"Do you… want me to put him inside?" Olia asked, cocking her head.

Red rumbled, starting to sound impatient.

"You aren't going back up there to fight, are you?"

Red closed her mouth and turned her massive head to face Olia. Olia swallowed at the low growl that came from Red. The lion's expression didn't change, but Olia was sure it was glaring at her.

"I-I just mean, what if you get hit by the Galra? Your friend could be hurt worse. I don't know what wrong with him right now, but he should have woken up by now," Olia said, speaking fast in her nerves.

Red thankfully stopped growling. She reached out with a large paw and nudged Keith. Then she reached behind Olia and gently pushed her forward, toward Keith.

"You want me to watch your friend? Sure," Olia said agreeably, sagging in relief.

An explosion made Olia and Red look up.

"I can get him someplace safer," Olia suggested. "My ship is nearby. We can hide behind the planet's moon until the fight is over."

Red rumbled. She gazed intently at Olia long enough to make the dog-alien shift from paw to paw. Then Red crouched and leaped up, flying away to join the others.

Olia let out a heavy sigh. She looked at Keith and gave a small smile. "Well, let's get you to my ship, eh?"

* * *

Pidge had been watching Red's movements during the whole time Red had been interacting with Olia. To her, though, the actions seemed to be like she was saying… good-bye. Pidge didn't dare tell the others what she had been seeing.

Then, Red took off and Pidge turned her eyes to the planet. A small red speck was getting closer. Her eyes went back to Keith's vital signs. Still nothing, and the location was still staying still.

Lance was the next to spot Red. "Ha ha! Keith's back. Knew he was fine!"

Pidge let out a sigh. Lance had probably been right about Keith losing his helmet. She would have to think about moving the trackers into the armor, where it couldn't just fall off.

"Keith, what happened?" Pidge heard Shiro ask over the communicator.

No response. Still no change in Keith's location or vitals.

"Must be jammed," Shiro muttered.

Red burst through the wall of Galra ships that had been blocking off the planet, roaring and swatting the fighters away with a ferocity the other paladins had never seen.

"Keith?" Pidge whispered, keeping Green out of the fight while the others sped to help Red. "Please respond."

Nothing.

* * *

 **A/N: Besides Olia's names and looks, everything about her was made by me. Her presence is canon, but that is about it. I tried to make up a personality that goes with the little bit we see of her.**


	6. Fly Away

**A/N: For those who didn't notice her, Olia is from season four. She is only in the background at first, but in Begin the B** **litz, she takes on speaking roles and is apparently captain of that rebel group.**

* * *

Olia crouched at Keith's side and lightly shook his shoulder. "Wake up, pup. We need to get out of here."

Keith rolled his head back and forth and murmured, but didn't revive.

"Come on, now's not the time for a nap."

Olia glanced up, then moved to behind Keith's head. She reached a fore-paw under both of Keith's armpits and hauled him into a seated position.

Keith gave a yowl of pain so sudden that Olia nearly dropped him. His knees jerked toward his chest, while his elbows flew backward, hitting Olia hard in the stomach.

Olia's breath whooshed out of her and she lost her grip on Keith, causing him to hit the ground with a thump and a moan. Olia hunched over, a fore-paw to her chest and a grimace on her face. Okay, not everything was well with the human.

As Olia caught her breath, Keith writhed on the ground. His expression was decidedly pained now and even with the breathing mask, his breathing was turning ragged again. Even more worrying was the fact that he was still unconscious.

Olia's tail twitched up. She clenched it in a fore-paw and squeezed, a habit of hers when she was thinking or nervous. At that moment, she was both.

She had to get the human back to her ship, and fast. But he was obviously hurt, and she wasn't sure how far she could carry him. She was strong, but it would be awkward carrying someone as large as her through the dense forest. Not to mention the amount of pain he would have to endure during the trip.

It would have been preferable if the pair could just hunker down and wait it out, but Olia couldn't risk a ship falling on their heads or Galra ground troops to start looking for inhabitants on the planet.

Much as Olia liked the planet she had spent the last few months on, she knew it was time to leave. When the Galra showed up, she moved on.

" _I'm tired of running,"_ Olia thought with an audible growl.

Just then, Keith moaned, rolling his head back-and-forth. He murmured something indistinct about a "beast."

"Oh, yeah, they're beasts," Olia said. "That's why we need to move."

Olia searched the brush until she found a pair of nearly straight sticks that were twice her height. She pulled off her cloak, revealing a gray flight suit underneath, and spread it across the sticks. Using some twine from her pack and a raincoat, she quickly rigged up a stretcher. Some more twine formed a harness on one end.

Getting Keith on the stretcher was painful for both him and Olia. Keith groaned and whimpered when Olia moved him. Olia's ears were pressed flat to her head in an attempt to block out his sounds of distress.

Finally, though, Olia had Keith settled in the stretcher. She tied her pack under his head to act as a pillow. She spotted the dagger on the ground and, figuring it was Keith's- who else's would it be?- tucked it into her pack. Olia settled the harness over her shoulders and crouched to all fours.

"Hang on," Olia called back, then started trotting through the trees. I

* * *

Olia's ship was a small old supply ship with dented and patched sides. The main view port was scratched, and the two view ports on the left had been broken and covered over in metal. The color was a rusty brown, except for a few patches of metal that still held a trace of red. A pair of mismatched blasters had been added to the sides at some point. Olia had kiddingly called it the "Clunker" when she first saw it, and the nickname had just stuck.

Olia smiled when she saw the Clunker unharmed. She had started evacuating her shelter when the battle had first started, and had been finishing her last run when she found Keith. She walked up the still-open ramp in the back, dragging the stretcher inside.

Inside, Olia had made the hold space her own. A shelf beside her fold-down bed held a variety of stones and clay sculptures. A string of lights across the center made up for the blown bulbs in the hold. There was a metal box under the bed labeled "important," but gave no indication of the contents. Across from the bed was a table with a scattering of books, tools, and food rations. A closet-sized space on either side of the ramp was walled off, one a small washroom and the other held mattresses, blankets, and jars of all sizes in racks on the walls. The cockpit and hold had no divider, so the mess of scavenged building tools and survival supplies spilled to the base of the pilot's seat.

Olia laid the stretcher down. She closed up the ramp, then flipped on the ship's life support system. A low hum filled the ship as it strengthened the oxygen-weak air.

Olia gritted her teeth and moved Keith from the stretcher to the bunk as quickly and gently as she could. This time, he barely moaned, a fact that Olia wasn't sure if it was good or bad. She strapped him in, so he wouldn't roll off and hurt himself further.

She dug around the contents of the table for a minute before finding a scanner. She scanned Keith for injuries, and found him to have a concussion and three cracked ribs, one of which was a hair from being actually broken.

Olia grimaced sympathetically, but was relieved to find none of the injuries were too serious. She didn't know how long it would take to get him medical attention.

Then she scrambled around the ship, throwing loose items into a wooden box she dragged out from under the table. The stones and sculptures went into the metal box.

Olia paused her frantic cleaning for a moment to pull a wood and glass pendant from the metal box. She pressed it to her chest, bowing her head and lowering her ears. Then she took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes. She reverently laid the pendant back in its place and resumed her cleaning.

Once she was satisfied nothing would be damaged in flight, she shoved the boxes back.

She pulled her breathing mask to the side and took a deep breath of the ship-produced air. Yep, it was good. She exchanged the mask with a pair of goggles from the pack.

Olia leaped into the pilot seat and started flipping switches. The Clunker rattled and sputtered. Olia played with the petals and hand controls, hoping that the Clunker wouldn't choose this day to die on her. Finally, the ship whirred to life.

"That's it, old girl," Olia murmured, easing the Clunker off the ground. She pulled down her goggles and turned the ship toward space.

* * *

Olia took the long way to the planet's moon, going clear around the planet to avoid being accidentally caught up in the battle. As she flew between the planet and moon, Olia caught a glimpse of the battle.

Galra were steadily joining in the fight. They had to have planned this, though their plan wasn't working in their favor. The lions were taking them out as quickly as they appeared, but never were in the clear long enough for the red lion to pick up Keith.

Olia wondered how much longer the lions could keep fighting, anyway. Whoever was flying was bound to be tired by now, and with the seemingly endless waves of Galra, it was only a matter of time. Either the pilots would tire, or more serious ships would join in.

"I hope your friends know what they are doing," Olia called back to her unconscious passenger.

Olia approached the planet's moon from an angle that exposed her to the fighters, but they were luckily too preoccupied to notice. She breathed a sigh of relief as the Clunker moved into the far side of the moon.

And promptly slammed on the brakes as she got the second biggest shock of her life.

A fleet of Galra ships every bit as large and menacing as the fleet battling the lions were waiting out of view from the fight, just waiting to ambush the lions. Every ship was pointed in the direction that the Clunker had appeared.

"Oh, biscuits," Olia whined.


	7. What Was Lost

Olia yanked back on the hand controls. The Clunker shrieked in protest at the abrupt change, but sped backward.

"Don't see me, don't see me," Olia whispered.

Fighters poured out of cruisers and started heading towards the Clunker, blasters already firing.

"Aaaaaand they saw me."

Olia spun the Clunker around and took off. The Clunker might have been poor in appearance and smooth rides, but it was fast. Olia just hoped it would be fast enough. Just in case, she weaved and dipped in an attempt to avoid the blasts.

The laser blasts dwindled and stopped soon enough, but Olia thought it was almost too soon, considering how persistent the Galra could be. She turned the ship so she could see back through the remaining side ports.

It was the red lion who had left Keith in Olia's care. She had taken on the fleet, single-pawed.

* * *

When Red roared and veered off from the fight, Pidge was hoping it was to lead them to Keith. Instead, she flew behind the planet's moon.

"What is-"

Shiro's question was cut off as Red flew back into view with an entire fleet of Galra behind her.

Lance groaned. "We can't take much more of this."

Shiro scowled at his hands, then said, "Allura, we need a wormhole back to Olkarion."

"What?!" the other paladins exclaimed.

"Lance is right," Shiro said. "We can't keep this up much longer. The lions are already damaged."

"But, Keith is-" Pidge started.

"He's in Red," Shiro said. "He has to be, if she's up here. Just, maybe not in the cockpit."

Pidge looked at Red in the midst of the Galra fleet. Unlike with the previous fleet, she was merely dodging. The Galra were doing more damage as they tried to shoot Red, but only managed to hit each other. Her head whipped around, and she was roaring. It was like she was searching, not fighting. And her roars. They sounded… upset.

Pidge shook her head. It was just her imagination.

It had to be.

There was a flash of light, then a wormhole opened over Green's head. Pidge and the other paladins turned their lions to Red to see what she would do.

Red gave one more roar, then sped past the other lions and into the wormhole. The others were quick to follow, and Allura closed the wormhole behind them before any Galra could get through.

* * *

"Well, so much for that," Olia whispered, although it was impossible for the Galra to actually hear her.

Olia had been hoping to hitch a ride with the lions. While she didn't have a clue as to who they were, they certainly had to be better company than the Galra. And, they could produce wormholes! If Olia convinced them to join the rebels, just think of what they could do for the cause!

But, as Olia watched her dreams vanished through the wormhole, she had to admit that she was on her own for this one. Again.

At least the Galra seemed to have forgotten about the little Clunker, floating silently in an asteroid field located near to where the battle had taken place. Olia decided to take advantage of this and started up the Clunker and flew away as quietly as she could manage.

* * *

The flight to the Castle of Lions was uneventful and silent. Pidge was glad to see no sign of the Galra around -maybe they had at least fulfilled their main objective- but the feelings were overshadowed by her concerns for Keith.

Red docked in her hanger like they were returning from any old mission. Pidge kept telling herself it was good. If something was wrong, Red would be going crazy by then. Keith was probably just knocked out, and would soon be ranting at them for abandoning the fight for his sake.

Pidge didn't really believe herself.

Pidge was out of her seat before Green had fully settled. Green's mouth opened, and Pidge was outside, stumbling as Green's head had still been a few feet off the floor. She caught her balance and raced across the hanger.

She joined the other paladins, Allura, and Coran all headed for Red's hanger, then sped up and reached the hanger before anyone else. She skidded to a stop at the entrance, panting.

Red was crouched with her mouth open, perfectly still. Waiting.

Pidge felt a hand on her shoulder, then Shiro said, "He's fine."

Pidge didn't respond. She was afraid to think of what they might find. Unable to take it any longer, Pidge broke away from the others. She dashed up Red's mouth ramp and burst into the cockpit. She froze, tears starting to well up.

Empty.

Feet clattered into Red, then halted abruptly.

"Keith?" Shiro said.

Pidge heard footsteps as the others began searching Red for signs of Keith. She didn't move, only listened to the others slowly fall silent.

"He isn't here," Hunk said.

"No," Pidge said, voice low and raspy from emotion.

"Pidge?" Shiro asked.

"Not again!" Pidge cried. A flood of tears streamed down her face as she pounded a fist on the pilot seat.

 _I've lost another brother._

* * *

"Where are you from, pup?" Olia asked the unconscious Keith after a couple hours of flying.

She turned briefly in her seat to look at Keith laying in the bed just behind the pilot seat. She was fairly certain he was human, but they were very far from the planet Earth. And last she knew, the humans' planet was still free of Galra control.

If he was human, Olia also knew the rebels wouldn't be pleased to find more humans caught up in Galra clutches.

Maybe he had been part of a group of slaves being transported on was the ship that had crashed, and he had somehow survived. Maybe he had escaped to the planet long before, and Olia had simply never noticed.

Since his armor wasn't something Galra slaves wore, but it also wasn't anything the rebels used, she was inclined to believe it was something like the latter.

"Well, when you wake up, I am sure you will have a very interesting story to tell," Olia said, turning back to her flying. She continued to talk, even though Keith couldn't seem to hear her. "For now, I am taking you to MB29 on Kraydah's moon. It's a medical base, because unfortunately, I ran out of medical supplies a few phoebs back. Never got around to re-supplying. Not the smartest idea but, while I have been called a lot of things, smart wasn't one of them."

Olia went on talking, mainly about how she had been planet hopping for the last four decades in search of wreckages to salvage from. The planet she had found Keith on, which was called Bel-Rath, held plenty of old wrecks from years past hidden under the forest's dense foliage.

After a couple hours, Olia was interrupted by a muffled yell. Her head whipped around to see Keith straining against the harness and tugging at the breathing mask Olia hadn't removed.

"Woah, woah! Hold on there!" Olia yelped, quickly stopping the Clunker and leaping out of the pilot seat. She pressed her fore-paws against Keith's shoulders in an effort to hold him still. "Steady, before you hurt yourself!"

Keith either didn't hear her, or was too panicked to listen. He continued pulling at the mask until Olia removed it, then moved his hands to the straps across his body. His eyes were clenched shut, and he started making moaning sounds.

Olia hastily unstrapped Keith. She was afraid he would roll off the bed, but the boy calmed down as soon as he was released. His breathing steadied and his arms dropped to his sides.

"That's better, pup," Olia said soothingly, fore-paws raised in case Keith started thrashing again.

"Who're you callin' 'pup?'" Keith mumbled.

"Ah, he's awake!" Olia exclaimed dramatically. "And the pup's you."

Keith's eyelids cracked open. "I'm not a dog."

Olia cocked her head, not sure what a "dog" was. "So, what are you?" she asked, just to clarify.

"Human…?" For some reason, the word came out sounding like a question. Keith's eyes had opened fully now, and he stared at Olia with a confused frown.

"Ah, good. My name's Olia Dustpaw of the Sandlopers. Caneen from planet Cana." Olia stuck out a fore-paw for Keith to shake.

Keith didn't take the paw, though. His expression was slowly becoming more confused and horrified.

Olia yanked her paw back, mentally kicking herself. Not all races greeted each other with paw shakes! And wouldn't it be her "lucky" day if humans were one of the few who were offended by the gesture.

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Where am I?!" Keith blurted out.

"Oh, you're on my ship," Olia said, realizing she probably should have started with that. "I found you injured and thought I should get you some medical attention."

"This isn't right, this isn't right," Keith muttered. His eyes darted around the ship.

"It's okay," Olia said as Keith became more and more agitated. "The Galra can't get you here."

Keith's gaze fixed on Olia. "What's Galra? That giant red and white beast?"

"The lion? I thought it was your friend."

"I-I don't know." Keith struggled to sit up, despite Olia's protests. Once he was up on his elbows, he didn't try to go any further. "I woke up and it was over me."

"Do you remember how you got to the planet?" Olia asked gently.

"I don't know! I can't remember anything! Not you, or where I was, or what I was doing, or where I was going, or, or…"

"It's okay," Olia said. "Just calm down and start at the beginning. What's your name?"

Keith's eyes filled with panic. "I just told you that I don't remember!"

"But I meant…" Olia trailed off as she realized what Keith was trying to tell her. "You mean you don't even know what your name is?"

"No!"

* * *

 **A/N: The scene in Red at the Castle was inspired by the season two finale. There will be deja vu moments in this series, and it is on purpose.**

 **I imagine that when aliens could interact to often, their birth planet (or origin planet of their race) would be included. Her last name and all that will be explained eventually.**

 **And yes! 1,000 views!**


	8. Forgotten

**A/N: This chapter was almost the death of Distant Memories. I couldn't quite figure out how Keith and Olia would interact, given the circumstances. It took three tries, but I'm happy with how it ended up.**

 **All planets mentioned in this story besides Olkari and Kraydah, were made spur of the moment.**

* * *

Exhausted by his outburst, Keith dropped back on the bed. His ribs protested when he did this, but his mind was spinning too much for him to notice.

Waking up in a strange forest was bad enough, never mind finding himself on some sort of ship. Seeing stars outside the view port only increased Keith's anxiety.

"Where are we?" Keith asked quietly.

Olia, who had been watching him with a bewildered expression, jumped a bit at the question. "We are near a planet called Kwin. Sound familiar?"

Keith shook his head. "My mind is blank. All I remember is my… my blade!" His exclamation turned into a cry of pain as he sat up suddenly.

"Stop doing that!" Olia said, putting a fore-paw on either of Keith's shoulders to help him lay back down.

"Did you see my knife?" Keith asked desperately. His breath quickened, making pain pulse in his chest with every breath.

"Everything is fine," Olia said in a soothing voice. She put a fore-paw on Keith's sweaty forehead and frowned. "You need to calm down before you make yourself worse."

Keith's vision blurred. He grimaced and closed his eyes against the pulsing headache that was rapidly making itself known.

"I need… my knife," he murmured.

His hands opened and closed, grasping for something that wasn't there. Keith heard Olia sigh, then a shuffling sound. Something was pressed into his right hand, which instantly closed around its prize. Keith knew without opening his eyes that it was his knife.

"Thank you," he whispered.

A paw patted down his hair. "Just rest, little pup."

* * *

Keith wasn't sure how long he laid there before opening his eyes again, but he felt much calmer this time around. His mind was still blank, but the knife he clutched to his chest made the emptiness less intimidating somehow.

Olia was sitting at the table across from the bed, muttering to herself as she inspected an array of ship parts spread across the table.

"What is this? Did I get it at Bel-Rath, or…" she peered at a notebook on the table. "Yes, I did. Okay, what did I see in it before…"

"What are you doing?" Keith asked.

Olia jumped, almost dropping the part she was holding. She looked over her shoulder to smile at Keith. "Cataloguing parts. Well, trying to. My knowledge of engines is… sketchy." She shrugged and stood. "It's a miracle the Clunker hasn't died on me yet."

"And the Clunker is…?"

"This ship. It makes more sense when you see the outside," Olia said. She hesitated, then asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have been dropkicked."

"I'm going to assume that to be, not good?"

Keith shrugged. Talking hurt his chest.

"Well, you do have a concussion and three cracked ribs," Olia said. "Don't worry, we'll be at MB29 really soon, and they will have you fixed up in no time."

"Will they fix my memories?" Keith asked.

"They will do their best," Olia said.

"That's not an answer."

"Because I'm not sure. But if they can fix your injuries, it makes sense that your memories would return, right?"

"That makes sense…"

Olia grinned and tossed her head. "Of course it does. I thought of it."

Keith finally gave Olia a small smile, which make her grin larger.

"You'll see. Everything will be just fine," Olia said. "Oh, and I found you something." Olia took something from the table and walked over to hand it to Keith.

It was a brown sheath with a thin belt. When Keith slipped his knife inside, he found it to be a perfect fit.

"Found it at wreck back on Bel-Rath, the planet I found you at. Must be where you got the knife," Olia said.

Keith looked from the knife to Olia so quickly that, for a few seconds, he saw double. "You mean you don't know where I got this knife?"

"Why would I? I just met you."

"When you said you found me, I assumed we had at least gone to the planet together," Keith could feel the panic rising again. "But not even you know who I am?!"

"Okay, okay, don't get your tail in a twist," Olia said sternly. "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but this is only a temporary thing. Your memories will return soon enough, and we can get you back where you belong, got it?"

Keith nodded reluctantly. He had been hoping for someone to fill in the expansive blanks in his mind, but it appeared he would just have to wait.

"Good. Now, it will take couple quintants to get to MB29. Would be faster, but the auto-pilot is on the fritz again, so we can't travel without sleeping without the risk of flying into a star or sun again."

Keith blinked. "It's happened before?"

"Only twice," Olia said cheerfully. "And I realized it in time, so no harm done."

"Right…"

"Until we get to MB29, just take it easy. Maybe things will start to make sense. Wherever you came from, the freedom fighters will make sure you get back to them if possible."

"Freedom fighters?"

"Fighting for freedom from the Galra."

"The what?"

Olia cocked her head. "Huh. You must have really lost your memories if you can't remember the Galra. They are all over, enslaving innocent planets and terrorizing the galaxy in general."

Keith shook his head. "I don't remember."

"I suppose the Galra could have taken you directly from your planet, so you wouldn't have any previous knowledge of them."

"I'm so confused." Keith groaned and clutched his head. "Trying to remember hurts."

"Then don't," Olia said hurriedly. "Don't rush it. You'll remember in time."

The pair fell silent for a minute, then Olia asked, "Do you want to try sitting up? Slowly this time."

Keith nodded gamely. He sat up on his elbows experimentally. When nothing worsened, Olia helped him shuffle around so his head and shoulders rested against the wall and his feet hung off the bed. He pushed himself straighter until he was sitting up against the wall.

"Okay, good. No dizziness, pain, or general desire to break-dance in space?"

Keith raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Concussions do strange things, just saying."

"No, I don't."

"Good. Don't have any space suits on this old ship… or an airlock." Olia shrugged and held out a paw. "Want to come up front? It's more comfortable there."

Keith took the offered paw and slid off the bed. Immediately, a wave of dizziness hit him. His legs shook and his vision doubled. Paws grabbed him as he half-fell back on the bed. He blinked rapidly and his vision slowly returned to normal.

"Okay, bad idea," Olia said. "How about you just stay seated?"

"Sounds good," Keith said, panting slightly.

"We'll just get a stretcher when we get there. Though you will have to stand for the pod." Olia tapped a fore-paw to her muzzle. "They must have something for that, though. I've heard of a lot worse off than you using healing pods. Can't exactly stand there with a couple of broken legs."

Keith raised his eyebrows. "You've lost me."

Olia started. Keith was starting to get the idea she wasn't used to have someone else around.

"Just thinking aloud," Olia said with a sheepish grin. "It can get sort of quiet around here. Anyway, we'll figure that out later."

"Cross that bridge when we get there," Keith said.

Olia cocked her head. "What is that? A code phrase?"

Keith gave a small laugh. "No, its just a saying. It means what you said, figure it out later."

"I'll have to remember that. Any more 'sayings' where you come from?"

Secretly, Olia was hoping that while Keith was remembering his Earth sayings, memories would start to surface. Even a vague idea of someone he had heard use the saying would help. But he didn't have any breakthroughs and after a short bit, he complained of an increasing headache. Olia helped him lay down and he was soon asleep.

Olia sat in the pilot seat and stared into space.

What was she going to do with the human? Her original intent, since the lions had left, was to leave him at Kraydah's moon for the rebels to get home.

Except he couldn't remember where he was supposed to go. Galra activity always increased where rebel forces fought back, so taking him back to Bel-Rath any time soon was out of the question. Would his friends stick around long enough for the coast to clear? How long would it be until he could remember where he could rendezvous with them? What if he never did? If he couldn't return to his friends, would he be content with joining the rebels?

Olia sighed, ears drooping. So many questions, so few answers.

Olia felt responsible for Keith. Intentional or not, she had been the one to take him from his friends. She should do whatever she could to help him get back to them.

* * *

 **A/N: You can thank Google for Keith's symptoms.**

 **Olia's name was changed to Olia Dustpaw of the Sandlopers.**


	9. Concussed Keith

Olia was no doctor, but she did what she could to help Keith. She had eased him out of his armor and black under-armor, to the white jumpsuit beneath, then helped him into a spare cloak and pants. The looser clothing made it easier for Keith to relax, but he was still restless.

She had wrapped his ribs, to prevent his moving from injuring them further. Keith no longer complained about his ribs, but his head was causing him a constant pain for which Olia had no easy remedy.

Keith didn't show any signs of improving over the next three days, despite Olia's best efforts. If anything, Olia was afraid he was getting worse.

He could barely stay awake for an hour before drifting off again or head pains made him unable to talk. He seemed to get more confused, Olia thought. He would often stare at her for minutes at a time, as if trying to recall who she was. Three times, Olia had to re-explain how she had found him. He was also losing his appetite, saying eating made him feel sick. It was all Olia could do to keep him hydrated.

As time passed, Keith's time awake became more and more incoherent. Olia would catch him staring into space, murmuring words she couldn't understand.

The only thing that remained a constant was his grip on his knife. Olia had tried to remove it from him while he slept, but Keith had jolted awake and slashed at her with the knife. Only her quick reflexes had saved her from injury, and Keith's condition had worsened from the fright.

By the day they were scheduled to arrive at Kraydah's moon, Olia was worried sick about her charge.

"Come on, pup, you need to eat," Olia pressed, putting a ration bar on Keith's lap.

"Why do you call me 'pup, 'lia,'" Keith asked, scowling at the bar. He spoke with a slight slur that hid the first part of Olia's name.

"Because that's what you are," Olia said patiently.

"S're you. How 'ld are you, anyway?"

"128 years, next month," Olia answered, wondering briefly if concussions could take away one's ability to pronounce the long "o" sound.

Keith lifted his head to squint at Olia. "You look as 'ld as me."

Olia shrugged. "Caneen typically can live about 700 years."

Keith dropped his head and muttered something about "dog years." When he lifted his head again, Olia was disappointed to see the blank look that he got in his eyes when he lost coherency.

"Let's get you settled down," Olia said with a slight sigh.

Olia reached out to help Keith lay down, but he abruptly pushed her paws away. He started making "neh" sounds, which she took to mean as "no."

"You want to stay sitting up? Okay, just tell me if you need to lay down before you tip over." Olia paused, then added, "Again."

Keith murmured something that might have been agreement, but could easily have been meaningless rambles. Olia's tail twitched in agitation, drawing Keith's dazed gaze. He stared at the tufted end as if it was the most amazing thing in the world.

Olia shook her head. "We need to get your loopy little head into a healing pod."

A beeping from the cockpit caught Keith's attention and made Olia's ears perk up. A few seconds later, a staticky voice filled the Clunker.

"You are now entering Kraydah's air space. Identify yourself immediately, or face the consequences."

"Ah, we're almost there," Olia said, bouncing on her paws. "Oh, and don't worry about Eni. He does the best 'bad guy Galra' voice to redirect any Galra who get close. Just wait for it…"

"Unidentified craft, shut down all engines and prepare to be-" the voice's tone audibly changed from stern to exasperated. "Olia, is that you? Seriously, Caneen, get your radio fixed before we shoot you down one of these days. Dock three is open."

"See? That's just a line of defense that has served the freedom fighters very well." Olia said as she moved back to the pilot seat for the docking. "Most Galra take Galra sounding orders seriously, and don't bother any more investigating."

"Oh, and Olia?" Eni radioed. He gave a chuckle. "You are in so much trouble with Lt. Ozar."

"What else is new?" Olia said sarcastically. "Eni, if you tell on me, I'm never speaking to you again! I'm serious this time."

Since Eni couldn't hear Olia, he kept going on and on about the lecture that she was in for.

"I get it, Eni!" Olia exclaimed.

"'Lia," came a soft voice.

Olia turned her head, then jumped to her paws at the sight of Keith.

He was slouched weirdly to the side, face flushed. Sweat stood out visibly on his face, but his entire frame shook as if from cold. His white-knuckle grip on his knife had loosened enough for the blade to fall from his hand, which was really more concerning to Olia than his physical appearance.

Olia bounded to Keith's side, putting more trust in her auto-pilot's ability to dock than she ever had. She put a paw on his forehead, and bit her lip at his cold, clammy skin.

The Clunker rattled as it slowed for a landing, then fell with a jolt strong enough to throw Olia to the floor. Keith slid until half his body was hanging off the edge of the bed.

Olia scrambled to her paws and moved Keith back in place. He groaned at the movement, pushing weakly at Olia's paws.

"Stay still, stay still," Olia told Keith, trying to ignore that his hands were ice-cold. "I'll be right back, pup. I need to get a medic for you."

Olia was halfway to the ramp when she suddenly remembered Kraydah's moon's atmosphere was mostly unbreathable for her. She stopped and turned so abruptly that she lost her balance and fell on her side.

Olia scrambled up, shaking her head to clear it. She yanked out her bag from under the bed and pulled out the breathing masks. She slipped hers on quickly, then gently put on Keith's. She dashed across the hold and slammed a paw on the button for the ramp.

While the ramp creaked open, Olia glanced back at Keith. She hoped that he wouldn't become restless and pull off the mask.

The ramp clunked to the ground. Olia nodded, satisfied that Keith was laying quietly for now, and bolted outside.

And promptly ran into something that felt like a brick wall. She would have fallen, but a strong, three-fingered hand grabbed her wrist just in time.

"Woah, what's the rush? Lt. Ozar doesn't know you're here yet," came a surprisingly gentle voice from the stocky Balmaran Olia had run into.

Olia shook herself and looked up at Eni. "Tell me Mikkal is here."

"Yeah, but-"

Olia bolted away, instinctively falling on all fours for greater speed and agility. She yelled over her shoulder, "Don't let anyone inside!"

Her pup didn't need any more stress.

As Olia raced through the base, freedom fighters greeted her with mock shock and ribbing about Lt. Ozar being after her. She ignored them all, intent on reaching her destination.

Olia burst through the doors of the medic ward, making several doctors jump in surprise. Olia stood on her hind legs to search for one specific one.

"Mikkal!" she called, having spotted him.

Mikkal, a brown lizard-like alien, turned from the table of medicines he had been searching. As always, all the pockets of his white medic cloak was full of bottles and each hand held a medical journal, while his ridiculously flexible tail was the limb doing the searching. His eye ridges were raised in curiosity, blue eyes behind his round glasses calm despite Olia's dramatic entrance.

"I need you, right now," Olia demanded.

Mikkal opened his mouth, probably to scold her for being so loud in the medical ward, but saw her desperate expression and nodded.

"Carry on without me, hm," Mikkal said, handing his books and a few bottles to a young medical assistant.

Olia snatched Mikkal's hand and dragged him after her, picking up a collapsible hover stretcher in her free hand.

"What happened, who is injured?" Mikkal asked, gently prying his hand free.

"I don't know how it happened or who he is, but I picked up a stranger on a planet three days' travel from here. He has some broken ribs and a concussion, plus he can't remember anything about himself."

"The stranger has amnesia?"

"There's a name for not remembering anything?" Olia shook her head. "Yes. I thought that was all that was wrong with him, but he's been acting really strange since I found him. He won't eat, he spends a lot of time sleeping, and he just acts really, really out of it."

"Perhaps that sort of response is natural for his race," Mikkal suggested logically.

Olia paused at Mikkal's point, but was charging forward the next moment. She could see the Clunker now, with Eni standing guard out front. The Balmaran might have liked to tease her, but she could always count on his help.

"I don't think so," Olia said, restarting the conversation. "You see, he's a-"

"Olia!" shouted a stern voice.

Olia froze and groaned. She turned to see Lt. Ozar marching up behind her, long black coat billowing out behind him.

"Just go inside, he's on the bed. Call him 'pup.'" Olia said. She figured Keith was so out of it, he would take Mikkal to be her, despite Mikkal being a head taller and half as thick as her. She pushed Mikkal toward the Clunker before turning to face Lt. Ozar.

Lt. Ozar was a tall, blue-skinned humanoid with pointy ears. His white beard and hair were close-cropped and he held his body ramrod straight, giving a very intimidating appearance. Olia knew he was actually pretty laid-back, but he was always a little steamed when Olia returned from one of her long escapades.

"Hey, Lt. Ozar," Olia said, in an attempt to sound casual. "Long time no see."

Lt. Ozar frowned. "Emphasis on the 'long.' What's your reason this time? Ship broke down? Ran out of fuel? Acid-spitting monster ate half your ship?"

Olia chuckled awkwardly. Okay, so her last excuse hadn't been super believable. "Believe me, I have a really good reason for staying away for so long," she said, wracking her brain for a decent explanation

Lt. Ozar leaned back, an expectant look on his face. "Oh, really? Well, I just can't wait to hear it. Do tell."

Olia opened her mouth, still with no idea of what to say, but was saved from her attempt by a blood-curdling scream from inside the Clunker.

* * *

 **A/N: Since I have yet to say this, I do not own Voltron or anyof the major characters in this fic.** **Olia, Lt. Ozar, and Te-Osh will be the only canon freedom fighters. Eni is the name I gave to a background Balmaran seen in Reunion. Mikkal is a softer version of the alien bounty hunter. Travis (a large insectoid alien with the ability to turn any part of his body ultra hot) may make an appearance at some point. Mikkal and Travis are made up, unnamed alien races by me.**


	10. The H Pod

Olia spun around and dashed past the startled Eni, up the ramp. She stopped beside Mikkal, who stood in the middle of the hold with his hands raised waist-height. It didn't take long for Olia to notice why.

Keith was sitting up on the bed, propping himself up with one hand while the other held out his knife. His eyes were wide and wild, and he was panting heavily.

"How did you find a human, and what happened to him?" Mikkal asked in a quiet tone.

"Long story, but I don't know how he was hurt. You must have startled him."

Mikkal gave Olia an amused, "I-scared- _him_ " look that Olia barely noticed. She crept forward, causing Keith to switch his knife to facing her.

"It's okay, pup," Olia said soothingly. "It's me, Olia, remember? Mikkal just wants to help."

Keith blinked. His eyes focused slightly, then he gave a low moan as his knife arm started to lower. Olia breathed a sigh of relief, only to give a startled yelp as Keith's eyes rolled up and his supporting arm gave out from under him. She dropped the hover stretcher and leaped forward, narrowly catching Keith before he fell completely to the bed. His knife slipped from limp fingers and clattered to the floor.

"Mikkal!" Olia cried.

Mikkal was at Olia's side in an instant. He pulled an orange tablet -a more sophisticated scanner than the one Olia had in her medical supplies- from his pocket. He waved it across Keith's body. As he passed over Keith's head, the device gave a small chime.

Olia had never heard the scanner make that sound, nor had she ever seen Mikkal's eyes get so large, so fast.

"We need to get him inside, right now," Mikkal said. He picked up the hover stretcher and started setting it up.

"What's wrong? Does it have to do with his am… ah… forgetting stuff?" Olia asked, trying to move Keith so she more easily pick him up.

"Amnesia is the least of his problems right now," Mikkal said grimly. He pressed a button on the stretcher and it floated three feet off the ground. "Help me move him."

"I'll get him." Eni -Olia hadn't even heard him enter the Clunker- stepped between Olia and Mikkal to Keith's side. He easily picked the boy up and set him on the stretcher. "Where to?"

"Med Ward 5," Mikkal said.

Olia gasped. Ward 5? Only the worst of the worst were ever brought there!

Eni stared at Mikkal with Olia for the briefest instant, then began swiftly pushing the stretcher out of the Clunker and toward the base.

Olia hesitated from following Eni and Mikkal for a moment. She scooped up Keith's fallen knife, and ran after them. As she made her way toward the base, Lt. Ozar fell in step beside her.

"Is that-" Lt. Ozar started.

"Yep."

"Where-"

"Bel-Rath."

"How did-"

"Don't know. I'll show you his armor later, maybe you will recognize it."

"Did the Galra-"

"If they did capture him, it was either a long time ago or just recently."

Lt. Ozar frowned. "Are you going to let me-"

"Nope. I've told you all I know anyway."

By now, other rebels had noticed Mikkal's patient. First, there was just curious glances, but then they started bunching up to stare as Keith was floated past. Stares turned into whispers.

"Is that a human?"

"Thought the Galra didn't have them yet."

"Poor guy…"

"Has anyone told him?"

"I'll get him."

Several rebels took off in separate directions in search of "him." Eni picked up the pace and hustled Keith away from the crowds, into the quietness of the medical ward.

After several long hallways and half a dozen turns, Mikkal opened a door and Eni pushed the stretcher inside. Olia hurried inside. Behind her, she heard Mikkal telling Lt. Ozar he would have to stay outside, as the room was rather small.

Olia's attention was drawn to the single pod -the only thing in the room besides a table and chair- in the room. Unlike most vertical healing pods, this one was horizontal, more like a bed with high, sloping sides and a transparent top.

It was called the "H" pod. The "H" technically stood for "horizontal," but many called it by another name. Since "H" pods were so much harder to produce, they were only used in the most dire of cases. For the injured who were inches from death.

Olia also knew that healing pods -as amazing as they were- couldn't perform miracles. There was a reason the "H" pods were often called hopeless pods.

Eni gently moved Keith to the pod and helped Mikkal remove the cloak and pants, leaving Keith in the white jumpsuit for the healing process. Then Mikkal took out a fresh oxygen canister from a pocket and replaced the old one Olia had given Keith.

Olia quickly stepped forward. "Wait! He needs this." She held out Keith's knife.

Mikkal frowned, but took the knife and put it in Keith's open hand. While she might have been imagining it, Olia was sure she saw Keith's fingers close the slightest bit.

Mikkal closed the pod's lid and secured it. He pressed a series of buttons on the side, then stepped back.

Olia, Eni, and Mikkal stood silently in front of the pod, as if Keith would be healed before their eyes.

"We won't know for a couple hours if we made it in time," Mikkal finally said.

"We did," Olia said firmly. "He's a fighter, he'll be fine."

Eni soon left to return to his duties, then Mikkal had to go back to his other patients.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Mikkal said. "Come get me if anything changes."

Olia nodded and sat at the table without taking her eyes off the pod. Mikkal gave a slight sigh and quietly left the room.

"You'll make it," Olia whispered. "You have to."

* * *

Not long after, there was a light tapping on the door. Olia groaned and got up to open it.

"Lt. Ozar, can we talk-" Olia stopped when she saw the figure waiting outside.

A black helmet covered the figure's head completely. A long, oily cloak hid most of his body, excepting the hand holding a metal staff at his side.

"Yes?" Olia asked.

"I heard you found a human," said the figure, voice muffled by the helmet.

Olia studied the stranger. With his features covered and scent muffled by the cloak, she was at a loss as to who it could be besides a curious freedom fighter.

"No visitors. Spread the word," Olia said.

She started to close the door, but the figure thrust his staff out, holding the door open. Olia glared, ears lowering.

"Please. I might know him," the figure pleaded.

Olia grudgingly stepped back and opened the door. The figure rushed past her and to the pod. He stared down for a moment, then his body slumped.

"He's… not who I thought he was," the figure said. "When they said black hair, I thought…"

Olia inserted herself between the pod and stranger. "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh, sorry, I meant to…" the figure reached up and removed his helmet, his cloak falling back as he did.

Light brown hair and eyes were revealed from below the helmet. There was a skinny, human-shaped frame dwarfed by the thick cloak. And finally, a scent so close to Keith's, and one familiar to Olia.

"It's me, Matt."

* * *

 **A/N: So, according to the Voltron wiki, Olia and Matt worked closely during his time with the rebels. So, I decided to throw Matt in here as well. I am still going to try to keep this canon, so there WILL be reasons that Keith can't point Pidge in the right direction to track down her brother. (Mostly that he stinks at directions, but there will be others.)**

 **On a note, does anyone know if the planet with Matt's grave marker had a name?**

 **A small headcannon of mine is that since Matt apparently likes, and is good at, fixing things, he would almost always be covered in some sort of grease.**

 **Also, I am going on the theory that Keith and Matt weren't familiar with each other. While, canonly, they probably did (Keith did know that Pidge was a girl, and this could easily be because he had met the Holt family) I think that Keith would have known more about what Matt looked like then vice versa. I mean, Keith isn't one to hang out with friends with Shiro, but he could definitely see them from a distance. Plus, this part of the story kind of needs Matt to not know Keith, and a scene much later just wouldn't be as good if Keith and the Holt family had been close.**


	11. Old Friends

**A/N: Italicized sections are flashbacks. Some long, some short, and the longer ones be in a divided section of the chapter. Some of the flashback will be presented at a brief image or thought. Most will be from Keith, but Olia will have one on occasion.**

* * *

 _Olia was just heading for the Clunker, ready to head out for another solo expedition. She walked quickly, hoping to be gone before Lt. Ozar caught on that she was leaving. She had just reached her ship when a joyful call made her pause._

" _There's Te-Osh's ship! She's back!"_

 _Olia turned in the direction that rebels had begun pointing. Te-Osh? She had heard of her bold rescue missions, but had never met the Kythrian. Curiosity made her step away from the Clunker and join the rebels gathering where Te-Osh's ship was landing. The ramp lowered and the rebels let out a cheer, only to fall silent as two figures staggered into view._

 _The first was Te-Osh. She was dusty and bedraggled, her feathered ears clumped with dirt. A bandage was wound around one arm. She was supporting an alien that Olia supposed was one of the prisoners her group had freed._

" _We need help!" Te-Osh called. "The Galra nearly caught us, and many were injured."_

 _Olia rushed forward with the rebels who had managed to shake off their shock. She paused beside Te-Osh as the others headed inside the ship._

" _Do you need help?" Olia asked urgently._

 _Te-Osh shook her feathered head. "No. But here, take him. I must see to the others." Te-Osh took the prisoners arms and handed them over to Olia before darting up the ramp._

 _Olia hurriedly settled the prisoner against her side and led him slowly down the ramp, taking a moment to study him further._

 _The prisoner was of a race Olia had never seen before. He was scrawny -probably from his time in the Galra prisons- with no claws, spikes, or scales to speak of. The only fur he had was a dirty brown tuft on top of his head. His nimble, clawless paws clenched and pressed against his mouth as he gave a weak cough that shook his frame. He seemed young, and stared at the surrounding rebels with brown eyes bright with the fever that radiated heat from his body._

" _You're alright," Olia soothed, patting the prisoner's back. "You're free from the Galra now."_

" _Have you seen-" the prisoner broke off to cough, but doggedly continued hoarsely, "other humans like me?"_

 _Olia shook her head and tried to speed up their slow pace. A trembling had begun in the prisoner's body, and she wasn't sure if it was illness or shock. She needed to get him to Mikkal._

" _Sorry, no," Olia answered. "You're the first… human I have met."_

 _The human sagged a bit. "Oh… I guess it was too much to hope for, anyway."_

 _Olia gave the human a nudge on his shoulder. "Don't give up hope yet. There are lots of freedom fighter bases. Whoever you are looking for could easily be at one of those."_

" _You really think so?" The human turned his shining, hopeful eyes to her._

" _Sure. My names Olia Sandpaw, by the way. Sandloper from planet Cana."_

 _The human drew himself up a bit. "My name's Matt. Matt Holt from planet Earth."_

* * *

Olia's ears pricked forward. "Matt! I wondered where you had gotten."

Since arriving at Kraydah's moon some months ago, Matt had proven himself to be a brave, smart young human. He frequently joined Te-Osh on her raids, and Olia had seen him tinker with machinery around the medical base. She knew several pieces of equipment that Matt had repaired, adding valuable resources to the base.

She also knew that Matt's heroics and smarts were starting to get noticed by the officers at the base. She thought it was only a matter of time before Matt joined their ranks.

Matt gave her a small smile. "Me? I'm not the one who disappears for pheobs at a time. You know Lt. Ozar doesn't like that."

"Well, he hasn't outright told me to quit, yet, now has he?"

"Probably because of the things you find."

Olia shrugged. It was true that her solitary, scavenging habits had caused her to stumble on hidden treasures for the freedom fighters. She would sometimes come across forgotten caches of food, supplies, or even weapons on planets that had been abandoned when the inhabitants fled the Galra or, as more often the case, where captured and taken away. Occasionally, she even came across refugees or escaped prisoners hidden away from the Galra.

"He might just be the most unusual alien I have come across thus far," Olia commented. "Is he really a human?"

Matt leaned back down over the pod. "As far as I can tell. The fact that he is out here, though… either Earth has been taken… or maybe they are actually searching for us?"

"Would they really send someone so young on a rescue mission to space? That's crazy!"

"Humans have been blissfully unaware of the intergalactic take-over, Olia." Matt sighed sadly. "That's why I joined the resistance. I have family back home that I don't want to suffer as too many have."

Olia shuffled her paws, feeling bad for disappointing Matt and bringing up sore topics. She tried to lighten the conversation.

"Tell me about your family."

Matt lifted his head, appearing startled at the suggestion. "Now?"

"I'm not going anywhere. Lt. Ozar will lecture me as soon as I leave, anyway. So...?"

Chuckling, Matt waved for Olia to sit down as he began.

Matt started off slowly, eyeing Olia as if she would interrupt him at any moment. But, as time went on and Olia's attention remaining constant -except for the occasional check on Keith- Matt warmed up in his speech.

He shared fond memories of studying the stars with his mother, and biology with his father. He smiled in memory of when his sister had first shown interest in the complex math formulas Matt had puzzled over in his studies. He even explained the silly nickname he used on his sister.

"Katie was small for her age," Matt explained. "Still was last time I saw her. I used to joke that she was somewhere between a pinch and a smidge. One day, when she was five, I had just teased her about that, and she turned to me with a real fierce look in her eye. 'I'm no pidge!' she exclaimed." Matt laughed. "I haven't a clue where that word came from, but the nickname just up and stuck."

Olia chuckled. "I bet she was happy with that one."

"She will never live it down. Might as well change her name to Pidge." Matt sighed, expression turning melancholy once again. "It's been so long. I hope she's still safe."

Olia jumped up. "Of course she is! Your planet couldn't have been taken over yet. The latest scouting reports-"

"Are outdated," Matt interrupted. "Olia, we are a nearly forgotten outpost of the freedom fighters. News takes forever to get out here."

"Didn't you say you had plans for more efficient ways to learn and spread information last time I saw you? Whatever happened with that?"

Matt waved his hands helplessly. "No time. All available hands are needed to be constantly on the move. Supplies to gather, battles to back up, or aliens needing to be moved. There's barely enough time to get any sleep, never mind my little fantasies."

"Woah, now, you're starting to sound like Captain Brek," Olia said, referring to the stiff and pessimistic rebel captain who seemed to take pleasure in telling everyone they were all doomed to horrible deaths.

"Who else would be so blunt about his thoughts on my plans?" Matt asked drily.

"Ah, don't let that old grump get you down," Olia said with a careless wave of her paw. "From what I have seen of you, humans are tough. Even if Earth has been taken over, I'm sure they will be fine. If your sister's half as tough as you, she will be leading resistance charges on her own!"

Matt gave a small chuckle. "You know, one of the last things Katie told me was that if I didn't come back, she would come to space to get me."

"I can see it now!" Olia exclaimed dramatically, covering her face with her paws. "A tiny little human bursts into the base and shoves Captain Brek aside, yelling, 'where's Matt?! It's dinnertime, and he's late!'"

Matt laughed, his tense frame easing. Thus encouraged, Olia went on in a squeaky voice, wagging a finger in Matt's face.

"'Do you know what I had to do to get here? When I tell Mother on you, you're gonna-'"

 _Beep_

Olia paused mid-gesture, ears twitching toward the sound. The low beep repeated itself, and Olia spun around.

It was the pod. The calm blue glow that meant the pod was active was fading.

"No," Olia whispered, horrified. She scrambled over to the pod, yelping louder. "No, no! Matt, something's wrong!"

A small screen on the pod's side was showing Keith's vitals. Slowly but surely, they were dropping. Inside, Keith's breathing seemed to stutter and his body twitched.

"What's wrong?" Matt demanded, suddenly at Olia's side.

Olia's eyes flickered over the pod and the occupant. "I-I'm not sure. It's not the human, I think it's the pod. Look, i-it's powering down. He's coming out of cryo-sleep!"

Matt checked the vitals. "And at this stage, he'll never survive. Stand back."

Olia took a couple steps back, eyes never leaving Keith's face. "What are you going to do?"

"Something that always works back on Earth."

Matt clenched his hand into a fist and swung it hard into the pod's side, making the whole thing shake. Matt jumped back, shaking his hand and grimacing.

For a second, nothing happened. Then the beeping stopped and the glow returned. Olia ran to the pod's side, and was relieved to see Keith's vitals rising again.

"You fixed it!" Olia exclaimed happily.

Matt grinned and crossed his arms, trying to hide his bruised knuckles and pained wince. "Yeah, no big deal."

Olia scoffed. "Right. It's not like you, you know, _saved his life_ or anything."

Matt waved her off as he crouched to study the pod's side. "This thing is old and starting to fall apart. Doesn't anyone maintain these things?"

"All the engineers are sent to the bigger bases," Olia said. "Hey, you have fixed some of the other equipment around here. I bet you could convince Mikkal to let you take a look at it."

"I don't know," Matt said hesitantly, though Olia didn't miss the excited gleam in his eyes. "I guess it couldn't hurt to ask…"

"Sure. Mikkal knows your responsible and smart. After all, you're the one keeping Te-Osh's ship flying."

Matt stood up abruptly. "Oh, Te-Osh! I need to go! We were going some more of that nano-thermite titanium boron she likes to use so much."

"More?" Olia asked. "You're taking a big risk every time you go back. How long before that Unilu tells the Galra about you for some kind of bounty?"

Matt shrugged. "It's a risk we have to take. The nano-thermite titanium boron works perfect for our raids. Quick, clean explosions with very little concussion."

Olia huffed. "Fine. Just… be careful. And come back quick. I think this human will want to talk to you."

"Of course," Matt said with a smile. He trotted to the door. "It'll be a movement at least, though. Will you be sticking around til then?"

"I… don't think so. Need to return to my scavaging routes," Olia said.

Matt paused, hand on the doorframe, and looked over his shoulder. "Well, then, until next time, Olia."

Olia smiled and waved. When Matt was gone, Olia whispered, "Hoping there will be a next time, Matt."

Olia went back to the chair and sat to continue her vigil over Keith, intending to watch over him until he awoke.

After a few minutes, though, exhaustion from rushing to Kraydah's moon and trying to care for Keith began to rise. She sighed and laid her head back against the wall, telling herself that she would only close her eyes for a minute.

The next thing Olia knew, she was waking up to Mikkal shaking her shoulder. She blinked blearily at him, then jolted up.

"What's wrong?!" she blurted, looking quickly at the pod.

"Nothing," Mikkal gently assured her. "The human is fine. He's going to make it."

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, yeah, everyone is probably screaming at me to just get this story rolling by now. The build up always takes longer than I thought it would.**

 **By the way, over two thousand views now!**

I **used the theory that Matt was sickly after his time in the prisons. He never ended up as adorkable as I wanted in this chapter, but it has been, what, a few months? It takes time for him to get relaxed enough to let it all out.**


	12. Back to Bel-Rath

**A/N: For any of you who are curious about what the other paladins are doing at this time, check in on Wednesday. I will be posting a "side chapter" focusing on Pidge, and how they are dealing with Keith's disappearance.**

* * *

The first thing Keith became aware of was the worn leather clenched in his right hand. He knew it as his knife, even before his thoughts fully formed.

Next, he realized that he was cold. Not enough to shiver, but cold nevertheless. He tried to lift his arms to wrap around himself, but they felt stiff at his side. The most he could manage was a twitch. That's when he noticed a muffled voice.

"...moved, see?"

Then, a second, quieter voice that was harder to make out. "...saw. It's… to let..."

For a moment, Keith didn't hear anything, then there was a hissing sound. Warm air rushed across his skin, and Keith let out an involuntary shudder.

Someone touched his shoulder. "Pup?"

"Give him a minute," said the quieter voice.

Keith forced his eyes open. He squinted in the dim light that was still too bright, before a furry, muzzled face blocked it out. A long something with a tufted end waved madly behind her.

" _Olia,"_ Keith's fuzzy brain supplied.

Olia was grinning down at him, bright relief in her face. "You're finally awake! How do you feel?"

The alien standing beside Olia -Keith vaguely remembered Olia calling him Mikkal at some point- shook his head at Olia.

"I feel… fine?" Keith said slowly, voice muffled by the clear breathing mask that was strapped to his face. His mind held memories of agony and dizziness, and he was hesitant to try stomach gave a hungry growl. "Hungry, too."

"That's a good sign," Mikkal said in a quiet, sage voice. "From what Olia has told me, you have had very little to eat for the last five quintants."

Quintants? Keith squinted at the lizard-like alien until some subconscious part of his brain translated the word as days. "How… how long was out?"

"Two quintants," Olia said, her eyes wide. "We almost thought you weren't going to make it. Especially when the pod about broke."

Keith blinked. "It broke."

"Only once!" Olia said with a crooked smile. "And we realized it in time, so no harm done."

Mikkal nudged Olia aside with a long-suffering smile. He said to Keith, "Olia said that you had amnesia. Have any of your memories returned?"

Keith frowned in thought, then shook his head after a few minutes. "My head feels fine, but its just… so empty." He stared blankly at the ceiling.

Olia leaned over the pod. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Keith said slowly, than more strongly, "Yes, I feel fine now." To further his statement, he pushed up on his hands and sat up. He was relieved to find no dizziness or pain in the action, and gave a reassuring grin to Olia, who had been watching him anxiously.

Mikkal gave professional nod as he helped Keith slide to the end of the pod and stand. "Consider yourself lucky. Just a few doboshes more, and not even a pod could have helped you."

Olia's eyes widened in alarm. Her tail finally ceased its wagging as a serious expression crossed her face. "He was that bad?"

"The key word being 'was.' As you can see, the human…" Mikkal glanced at Keith, who only shrugged. Mikkal rushed on, "-is fully healed. Take him down to the mess hall and get him something to eat."

Olia nodded, her face lighting up once again. She snatched up Keith's hand and was about to pull him away when Mikkal interrupted.

"Forgetting something?" Mikkal asked, holding up a bundle of cloth.

Keith flushed as he looked down at himself. He was still only in his jumpsuit!

* * *

A short while later, clothed in a simple brown tunic and soft pants that were a bit baggy, Keith let himself be tugged along by Olia.

All around him, aliens he couldn't even begin to recognize -Keith wondered if he would know what they were even without the amnesia- bustled about with a busy air. Aside from the occasional few that would call a greeting to Olia or glance curiously at Keith, they all moved with intent and purpose.

Purpose that Keith found himself strangely jealous of.

"You don't have a clue about my name?" Keith asked abruptly.

Olia stopped, turning her head to face Keith. "No. Do you have any ideas?"

Keith shrugged helplessly. "The only hint I have is this." He held up his knife. "And I don't know what's so important about it."

Olia cocked her head. "It's a start. That marking has to mean something, right?"

"Probably just some decoration," Keith said, squinting at the handle.

"Well, based on the death grip you have kept on that thing since I gave it to you, that blade has to be important to you." Olia's face lit up. "That's it!"

"What?" Keith asked eagerly.

"That's what I will call you: Blade," Olia said, sounding proud of herself.

"Oh," Keith murmured, deflating a little. "I thought you had an idea of who I was."

Olia's ears flattened. "Sorry, no. I just wanted to call you something other than 'pup.'"

"It's alright. I like it," Keith said, though it was only partially for Olia's benefit. He liked the name "Blade" pretty good. It fit, his blade being the only hint of who he was. "Blade," he murmured. "Yeah, I like that."

* * *

Olia brought Keith to a large, bubble-like tent. They passed into a smaller tent with a door on either side. Something hissed, then Olia took off her breathing mask.

"It's fine now," Olia said, opening the door into the bigger tent. "We only have two places for oxygen breathers at this base, but we're lucky to have them. So few races depend solely on oxygen that the oxygen tents have a low demand."

Keith pulled off his mask and rubbed his face, feeling the indentations left by the mask straps. Olia's face fur was flattened and ruffled in a funny way, which she fixed by shaking her head when she saw Keith's smirk.

Keith glanced around, noticing some of the same types of aliens that he had seen outside the tent without breathing masks were wandering around, still without the masks. "So some can breathe both oxygen and whatever's outside?"

"Most can. A majority of planets have oxygen to a point, though some like Kraydah's moon has a high hydrogen content. Plenty of alien races are adaptable to the available air," Olia explained with a shrug. "Humans and Caneen… not so much."

"Oh. Too bad," Keith said.

"Could be worse. If it wasn't for breathing masks and tents like this, some races would be completely cut off." Olia's expression darkened. "And when it comes to the freedom fighters, we need all the help we can get."

Keith took a step back, startled by Olia's abrupt change. She must have noticed, because she immediately brightened and began walking again.

"Anyway, let's see if there's anything here fit for a human." Olia clapped a paw to her head. "Ugh, I should have asked Matt! Well, too late now. Te-Osh is big on radio silence."

Keith raised a hand. "Um?" He was prepared for Olia's start of surprise, and gave her a moment to collect herself before going on. "Who's Matt?"

"He is another human rescued by the freedom fighters. He's gone on a mission right now, but he'll be back within a movement. He didn't recognize you, but maybe if he reminded you of Earth things, it would help you remember."

Keith barely heard Olia's explanation as a vague memory of a voice rose. " _... my brother, Matt…"_

"Blade?"

Keith blinked, realizing Olia was talking to him. "What?"

Olia frowned, studying Keith's face. "You just zoned out on me. You okay?"

"Yeah, I just thought…" Keith shook his head. "It's nothing." He had to be imagining things, that was all."

"So, what now?" Keith asked after a hesitant meal of some sort of purplish noodle and something remarkably like garlic knots.

Olia glanced up from her bowl of brown pellets that she called kibble -a fact that Keith found hilarious- to answer, "Well, first off, check back at Bel-Rath."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Olia snorted. "I'll take you."  
"Really?" While they had been eating, some of the rebels had come to talk to Olia, and Keith had gotten the sense that Olia was a loner, and a wanderer, not one to allow amnesiac strangers to tag along.

"Sure, why not? I know where Bel-Rath is, and where I found you," Olia said. "We can head back and look for clues. Maybe that red lion is there."

Keith cocked his head. "Hey, how is it that you know what a lion is, but not a dog?"

"Who _doesn't_ know what a lion is?" Olia asked. "Lions are known across the universe as symbols of power and strength. Wisdom, and the importance of working together."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"Only that giant robotic one. But I have seen plenty of carvings, and been told stories. In fact, many races call their tribes a 'pride.' I'm not sure where the legends came from, but the theme of prides and working together has resounded for as long as they have been around. Some of the rebels even want to make a lion the symbol for the freedom fighters."

"And you think the lion was my friend?" Keith asked.

"It seemed pretty worried for you. Or, you know, whoever was inside. I don't think they intended to leave without you, so they must be looking for you now."

"I hope so," Keith said. "I'm already tired of not knowing."

"Well, no time like the present," Olia said, standing.

"Wait, now?" Keith asked without moving.

"Better to go now," Olia said. "When Lt. Ozar catches up to me, he'll probably ground me for a deca-pheob!" She turned away, apparently not catching Keith's shocked expression. "So let's go!"

* * *

"Good!" Olia exclaimed when she and Keith were within sight of the Clunker. "Looks like we can get out of here without notice."

Olia and Keith reached the Clunker and were starting up the ramp, when a deep voice from behind made them freeze.

"And where are you going?"

Olia had a nervous smile on her face when she turned, though Keith saw her relax once she saw who was standing there.

Mikkal was standing beside a stocky, well-muscled alien Keith couldn't remember. Mikkal held a pouch in one hand, and the unfamiliar alien was carrying a large bundle.

"Mikkal, Eni…" Olia glanced behind them. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Mikkal said with a knowing smile.

Olia slumped. "Humph. You know exactly what I am doing. And I suppose you're here to stop me, and give me a lecture on responsibility."

Keith raised an eyebrow. " _Exactly how often does this happen?"_ He noticed that Mikkal and Eni were merely smiling at Olia, who was too much on a roll to see.

"...and then Lt. Ozar will take away my flying privileges _again_ and I'll be stuck cleaning the garbage pits _again_ and you know I can't get that smell out of my fur for movements!"

"Are you done?" Eni asked.

Olia took a dramatically deep breath and let it out, in equally dramatic form. "Yeah, I guess."

"Then take this already," Eni plopped his bundle into Olia's arms, causing her to gasp and stagger under its weight, "And go before Lt. Ozar spots you."

Olia gaped. "You mean you won't tell?"

"Not this time," Eni chuckled before walking away.

Olia turned her shocked gaze to Mikkal. "Are you two serious?"

"As a hungry Klan-muirl," Mikkal said, handing the pouch to Keith. "These are some medicines, as you seem to have run out. The other bundle is food and some more tools."

A smile lit up Olia's whole face. "Wow, thanks, Mikkal! I owe you two." She immediately turned and dashed up the ramp.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Keith turned to follow, only to be stopped by Mikkal's hand on his arm.

"Take care of her." Mikkal said quietly.

"Huh?" If anything, Keith thought that it was Olia who was taking care of him.

"I think you and her will be seeing each other much more than you may think," Mikkal said. He leaned closer. "Olia needs someone steady in her life."

Keith shifted uncomfortably. "Okay?"

Mikkal blinked slowly, sadly. "Just as there are things you wish to remember, there are things Olia desperately wishes she could forget." Having delivered his odd message, Mikkal let go of Keith and backed away. "Watch out for her."

Still uncertain of Mikkal's meaning, Keith only nodded and followed Olia.

Inside, Olia had just finished stashing away the supplies and was settling into the pilot chair. She waved Keith to the cockpit.

"It'll be a three quintant trip there and back," Olia said. "Just in time to meet up with Matt again when he returns. Unless…" Olia cocked her head at Keith as he sat in the co-pilot seat. "Can you fly?"

Keith eyed the controls. "I'm not sure."

Olia chuckled. "One way to find out. I'll take us out, then you can try your hand at it, okay?"

Keith nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Keith was a natural. After a few rough starts and jerky turns that almost threw the pair from their seats, Keith got the hang of the Clunker's unsteady flight.

"Heh, wherever you came from, you really must have flown a lot," Olia commented after an hour of smooth flight. "Not very many can get the Clunker figured out so fast."

"It just feels… right," Keith said, silently relishing in the feel of piloting.

"With both of us flying, we'll be at Bel-Rath in half the time!" Olia said.

Keith grinned as he glanced at Olia. What was Mikkal talking about, Olia needing taken care of? She seemed pretty happy the way she was.

Although… Keith couldn't help but notice her shadowed eyes. He thought about how jumpy she was when she forgot Keith was there, yet was thrilled to talk to him for hours. Maybe she really did need someone to keep an eye on her?

"I'll take the first shift," Keith offered. "You should get some rest."

Olia snorted. "Rest? We've only just started."

Keith cocked an eyebrow. "You look tired. How much sleep did you get at the medical base?"

Olia blinked, then shrugged. "Okay, maybe not as much as I should've."

"Thought so. Bed." Keith pointed to further his point.

"Ah, don't be such a den mother," Olia said. But, she did get up and go to the bed. Before she laid down, she added, "Don't run into any stars."

Keith chuckled. "Don't plan on it."

Olia snorted, but didn't say anything else. After a few minutes, Keith heard her breathing even out as she slipped into sleep.

* * *

The day and a half journey passed surprisingly fast. Between shifts of sleeping and flying, Olia and Keith would talk. Well, Olia went on for hours at a time, sharing her expansive knowledge of space and planets' inhabitants with Keith, who had little knowledge of his own to share.

Keith was perfectly content to listen, though. Olia's face would light up as she excitedly explained about what she had found on what planets, or the times she had visited planets miraculously free from Galra reign.

The only time Olia's enthusiasm left was when Keith had asked her what her planet was like. She had become silent, staring out of the port with an intense mixture of sadness and anger in her gaze. She had then changed the subject, and Keith didn't try that topic anymore.

As they got closer to Bel-Rath, Keith's attention began to drift. What would they find on the planet? Would he have companions waiting for him there?

Regardless of Keith's lack of response, Olia went on. Keith tuned her out, until Olia shook his shoulder.

"Hello, Blade, are you listening?"

Keith jumped. "Huh? Sorry, I was distracted."

"Obviously," Olia said with a grin. "I was just trying to tell you that, we're here."

Keith looked up, clambering to his feet. They had approached from an angle that the planet's moon hid it from sight. As they rounded the moon, Keith's breath caught in anticipation.

Then, Bel-Rath came into view. A broken, strangled cry escaped Keith's lips.

It couldn't be. Surely, this wasn't Bel-Rath. He looked down at the navigator, and it only confirmed what he feared.

This black, lifeless planet with fragments spinning off into space really was Bel-Rath.

* * *

 **A/N: So, what do you think of Keith's nickname? I thought it up when Olia was shouting "Blades!" in Begin the Blitz, and just really wanted her to call him that. Sorry if the naming process was abrupt. This whole chapter was rather abrupt, as I was trying to get the action started.**

 **Olia's antics are based a bit on Lance, so she is a bit goofier than I intended. I am trying to match her personality with the hares of Redwall, and later you will see a bit of NCIS Ziva, whenever she is puzzling over "Earth sayings."**

T **The garlic knot-like food was inspired because (garlic knots are Italian, right?) Pidge is Italian and according to the Paladin Handbook, Lance's favorite food is garlic knots.**


	13. Do Lions Mourn?

**A/N: This is my attempt at an angsty chapter.**

* * *

Pidge sat hunched into the pilot seat of Red. She stared morosely out of the view ports, vaguely wondering how long she had been sitting there and if anyone was looking for her. She sighed heavily and drew her knees up to her chin.

Three days. That was how long it had been since Keith disappeared.

Disappeared. Pidge wondered how long she could keep telling herself that Keith was only gone temporarily. She hadn't heard anyone of Team Voltron call say it any other way, though she had heard Allura speaking with Coran that they needed a Red Paladin soon.

That had been yesterday, and Pidge hadn't gone near anyone since.

Pidge laid her head back and closed her eyes. She hadn't slept since then, either. Every time started to doze, images of Matt or Keith disappearing into darkness or being chased by Galra would fill her brain.

She must have drifted off, though, because she opened her eyes to see evening-red skies. She sat up, glad for the dreamless sleep, and spotted what had roused her.

Shiro and Hunk were standing in Red's hanger, speaking quietly. Allura, then Lance walked in as well. Finally, Coran came, side-eyeing Red in an odd manner. The group spoke for a moment, then Shiro turned to Red.

"Pidge? Can you come out here?"

So much for no one knowing where she was at. Pidge reluctantly stood and left her sanctuary to join the others outside. No one would look her in the eye, and Pidge sensed that Hunk was resisting a powerful urge to give her a hug.

"I'm okay, guys," Pidge said, frustrated at their obvious wariness.

Hunk finally gave in and grabbed her in a giant hug. Pidge chuckled tiredly, startled to find the hug so comforting. When Hunk released her, Allura stepped forward.

"The teleduv was completed this morning," Allura said, straight to the point.

Pidge stared up at her. "So… what now?"

"It is time…" Allura paused, then finished more strongly. "It is time we put our plan into action."

"What?! Without Keith?" Pidge looked around at the others, but their downcast expressions showed that they had already had this discussion.

"We need to find someone to pilot Red," Shiro said, the sadness in his eyes contradicting his firm tone.

"We need to find _Keith,_ " Pidge argued.

"Pidge..." Shiro shook his head, unable to continue.

Pidge crossed her arms. "This is Keith we're talking about. He's out there!"

"Just look at Red!" Lance burst out. "Whenever Keith is in trouble, Red just scoops him up! Face it, Pidge, Keith is…" Lance turned his head away, muttering, "That hot-head couldn't just stay put in Red. Nooo, he had to get out and put himself in danger, when we were all fine. Why couldn't he just…" His whole body slumped in a sigh, and he didn't go on.

Pidge turned to Hunk, her last hope. Hunk sighed and dropped his head.

"Sorry, Pidge, but you saw what that planet was like when we went back," Hunk said quietly.

Hunk was right, as much as Pidge wanted to deny it. The paladins had waited a day for the Galra to leave the planet so they could conduct a more proper search of the planet, only to find that the Galra had drained the quintessence. All signs of life -even former life- was utterly gone.

"If there was even a chance…" Allura offered.

"You all just give up too easily!" Pidge growled.

Shiro laid a steadying hand on Pidge's shoulder. "Pidge, we have to move forward. With or without a red paladin, we are leaving tomorrow to finish what we started."

Pidge shook away. "All you care about is fighting Zarkon. You don't care, about Keith or anyone else! I bet you don't even care if we ever find Matt and my dad!"

Everyone stiffened, staring at Pidge in shock. Pidge glared at Shiro, daring him to say otherwise. Shiro's eyes widened, but he didn't seem to know what to say.

Guilt abruptly replaced Pidge's anger. What was she saying? Of course Shiro wanted to find Keith and the Holts. He just knew that defeating Zarkon was key in freeing friends and, ultimately, the whole universe.

Pidge was the selfish one, not Shiro.

"Oh, Shiro, I-"

Shiro swiftly stepped forward and wrapped Pidge in a hug. "It's okay, Pidge. We're all concerned about Keith."

Pidge sniffed as tears sprang up in her eyes. "You all are right, though. He… he's gone. I just need to… accept it." She pushed slightly away. "What are we going to do? We can't form Zarkon without a red paladin."

The other paladins turned to Coran, who was nervously twisting his mustache.

"Coran, you once tried to pilot Red yourself. Maybe this time?" Shiro asked.

"Well, I've… always wanted to, but… not this way," Coran said.

"You may be our only chance. Allura needs to power the wormhole, and you are the only one left," Shiro said. Only a slight wobble in his voice betrayed his true emotions.

"I… I can try."

Coran stepped closer to Red. He paused at her mouth, gazing up at Red's bulk, then started to step up the ramp.

And then Red moved for the first time in three days. Her jaws slammed shut and she rose into a seated position.

Coran staggered backward into the others, and Team Voltron waited breathlessly. Was Red going to choose a new paladin? Was she… going to find Keith?

After several minutes, they had to admit it was probably just Red's way of rejecting Coran.

Shiro turned and began leading the others from the hanger. "Whether or not we have Red, we need to go after Zarkon tomorrow. We can't run the risk of keeping the teleduv here any longer."

 _Crash!_

Everyone leaped back as Red's paw slammed down between them and the door. A deep rumble came from the massive lion.

"What is she doing?" Hunk asked.

Allura shrugged. "I've never seen a Voltron lion do this. Maybe she is trying to tell us something?"

"Maybe she doesn't want us going against Zarkon without her," Pidge suggested.

"I don't know…" Allura cocked her head.

It made sense to Pidge. Secretly, she thought of Red as the most protective of the lions. While she wasn't as quick to react to danger to her paladins as Yellow or Blue, she had always come through for Keith.

Pidge swallowed. _Almost always._

Red rumbled again and drew back her paw. She sat back, seeming to deliberately keep her head out of reach.

"Okay, that was weird," Lance said.

Pidge had an idea. "So, when we go fight Zarkon tomo-"

 _Crash!_

Lance chuckled and leaned against the giant paw once again cutting them off from the door. "I think Red's trying to tell us something." He yelped and almost fell when Red abruptly pulled her paw back.

"Red doesn't want us to fight Zarkon without Keith," Pidge said.

"Without her," Shiro said thoughtfully. "Allura, if Red's acting like this, what are the chances of the other lions resisting to fight?"

"They're your lions, what do you think?"

"Pretty likely, I'd say," Hunk said. "Without Voltron, I mean, our chances against Zarkon are slim."

Shiro sighed. "So, it's fight now with the element of surprise, but a high chance of not having enough firepower, or wait until we have Red in the game, but risk the Galra finding out before we are ready? Not much of a choice."

Pidge smiled slightly. "Something tells me that the lions won't give us a choice."

"We'll just have to see what happens tomorrow," Shiro said with a sigh.

The group left the hanger. When Pidge hung back, Hunk paused to look at her.

"I'll be right there," Pidge said, waving him on.

Hunk shrugged and followed the others. Pidge turned back to Red.

"Do you really not want to do this until we find Keith?" Pidge asked. She wasn't expecting an answer, and didn't receive one. "Or… is it something else?"

Pidge thought back to the odd motions she had observed of Red. She hadn't told the others about them, as they could only further their beliefs.

Pidge squeezed her eyes shut again welling tears. She said quietly, "Did you lions mourn your past paladins? Is that what you are doing now? Mourning for Keith?"

* * *

 **A/N: Just a quick explanation as to why Red hasn't freaked out and gone after Keith. Two reasons: 1. I think she knew Keith would leave Voltron soon, and so she's okay with him spreading his wings a little. 2. She senses that Keith is in good hands -paws.**


	14. Salvaging Memories

**A/N: Since I haven't really described what sort of things Keith does remember, I will attempt to do so. If it doesn't make any sense, let me know, and I will PM you and start adding an explanation at the end.**

* * *

"What happened?!" Keith cried, falling back into his seat.

"I-I don't know." Olia's gaze darted from the broken planet in front of her to the navigational instruments on the console. "It should be right here! A planet can't just disappear like that!"

Olia turned the Clunker. There was the moon that had hidden the Galra ships, and the asteroid field she had taken cover in during the battle.

They were in the right spot, but everything was wrong.

"Are there any ships nearby?" Keith asked, eyes scanning space.

Olia checked her scanner. "I don't see anything."

Keith pounded a fist against the console and stood up in one, swift movement. Olia listened to him pace to the end of the ship, stomping footsteps growing lighter until he stopped at the opposite end of the hold.

"Where to now?" Keith asked quietly.

Olia turned in her seat. Keith has his arms crossed as he stares blankly at her. "What do you mean?"

"There is nothing here for me." Keith points out one of the ports. "What do I do now?"

Olia is at a loss of what to say. Is he being genuine or distant? The boy's expression is hard to read.

Finally, she says, "We can go back to Kraydah's moon and wait for Matt."

Keith nods sharply. "Fine. I will do that and… and maybe he will be able to help me."

Keith plodded back to his seat and slumped down. His facial expression was one of disinterest, but his body language told another story of worry and frustration altogether.

"Want to drive for a bit?" Olia offered, knowing how happy it made him.

Keith sighed and shrugged. "No."

This make Olia frown. If Keith was too upset to fly, this was serious! She wracked her brain for some idea of how to get rid of his gloomy expression.

"Hey," Olia said after a minute. Keith's head barely twitched in her direction, but she kept going. "Since we were able to get here so fast, how would you like to do some scavenging with me? Maybe I can find some sort of peace offering to make to Lt. Ozar for taking off again."

Keith turned to face Olia, and she was relieved to see a hint of amusement in his dark eyes. "Who is Lt. Ozar, anyway. You make him sound like…" He waved a hand, lacking the proper description.

"Task-master? Disciplinarian? Bossy? Way to serious?" Olia mimicked Keith's hand movement. "Pick one, I can go for hours."

Keith finally smiled. "I think you know what I mean. As for a scavenging trip, why not? I don't have anything better to do…."

Olia saw the frustration returning, so she blurted out, "And Matt! If we can find some busted technology, he would be…" Olia thought back to the sayings Keith had introduced her to some days ago. "Over the moon!"

Now Keith laughed. "Olia, the medical base is _on_ a moon!"

Olia stuck out her lower lip. "Well, your human sayings make no sense, so there!"

Keith shook his head. Since he was still chuckling, Olia took that as a win. For a few minutes, they flew without talking.

"What do you know about Matt?" Keith asked.

"Well, I don't get to talk to him much, since he is so often with Te-Osh on her runs and I'm out scavenging. We talked a bit while you were in the pod, so he told me about his family back on Earth."

Keith perked up. "Could you tell me, too?"

Olia hesitated. It wasn't really her place to talk about Matt's life. She didn't think he would mind, but what if he did?

One look at Keith's hopeful face, though, and she forgot her doubts. Keith needed something more than distraction, he needed something solid to hold onto. Memories of familiar places, even if they weren't necessarily his.

So, Olia started to talk. She re-told what Matt had told her about Earth, his time at the Garrison, and his family. Wracking her brain for every detail, Olia might have even made up a few by accident.

Keith had closed his eyes and leaned his head back to listen, but opened his eyes with a frown after half an hour.

"Snow is white, not blue," he informed her.

"Okay, smarty-fur," Olia snipped. "Who's telling the story here?"

Keith smiled and shook his head. "You are, but you might as well get the facts straight."

Olia cocked her head. She turned on auto-pilot, then turned her seat to face Keith.

"Uh, is that a good idea?" Keith asked.

"What do you remember about Earth?" Olia asked.

"Nothing."

"You just corrected me on the color of snow. Maybe you don't remember specifics, but what _do_ you remember?"

Keith turned his head away. Olia wondered if it was a good idea to press him, but remained silent as Keith gathered his thoughts.

"I remember… the snow… the wonder of it." Keith began slowly. "And… sand. The hot and dry of the desert… but is it sand or stone I stand on?"

Olia blinked. "What does that mean?"

Keith didn't seem to hear. "It's dry and gritty… the sun hurts my eyes." Keith's eyes screwed up, as if he was truly experiencing the desert. He started panting. "I'm running… from… what? It's so dry, too dry. I need water, but there isn't any. I need to go back, but they… they are keeping me from him. I need to find him!"

Olia stood. "Woah, Blade, just calm down. It's okay."

Keith blinked and slowly calmed down. His hands, which had begun to reach out, drops back to his side. "What happened?"

"I think it was a memory," Olia said.

Keith shuddered. "I don't think I want to remember Earth."

"Could have just been a day-mare or something," Olia suggested. "Mikkal says that the healing pods can sometimes cause dreams."

"I'm pretty sure I'm awake right now."

"Humans don't daydream?"

"No. I mean, we can, but it's not usually so… concerning."

Olia shrugged and sat down to take back her controls. She really didn't trust her auto-pilot. "Whatever it was, I'm sure it will become clear soon enough. If you had a flashback already, more are sure to follow, right?"

Keith didn't answer. He stared distractedly into space, so Olia decided to leave him be.

* * *

"Here we are!" Olia said after a couple hours of silent flight.

Keith jolted out of wherever his mind had been and looked down on the barren planet the Clunker was hovering over. His face wasn't impressed.

"There is nothing here," Keith pointed out.

"Ah, maybe so, maybe not." Olia pointed. "See those big skid marks over there? Maybe nothing originally was here, but something big crashed recently, and I plan to investigate."

Olia followed the skid marks for some distance, only to find that they just… stopped.

"Huh?" Olia grunted. "Nothing leaves crash marks like that, then vanishes without a trace. Let's check it out."

"And if whatever hauled off a big ship without leaving a mark comes back?" Keith wanted to know.

"We high-tail it outta here with our tail between our legs," Olia said with a grin. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

"With my memories," Keith said drily, but didn't protest anymore as Olia settled down the Clunker.

Olia checked the readouts on her console. "The air is breathable here, and I am detecting no life-forms nearby."

"Let's go, then." Keith stood.

"Wait," Olia said before he could go far. "I've got your armor here, just in case we do encounter something."

Keith accepted the dented red and white armor. "What about you?"

Olia tapped her flight suit. "Already got it on. I found this a pheob ago, and it's pretty tough."

Once Keith was geared up, Olia opened up the Clunker's ramp. She pulled out her energy pistol from its hip holster and cautiously walked out.

"I thought you said there was nothing nearby," Keith said.

Olia gave him a sheepish shrug. "Yeah, the only thing on the Clunker that is reliable is the GPS."

Keith stared at her for a second, then whipped out his knife from the sheath that he had tied around his waist. "Great."

Olia glanced around and holstered her pistol. "I think we will be fine. It's so open here, we would see anything long before it got to us." She waved a paw. Aside from the occasional stone column, there was nothing to hide threats.

"True," Keith said, though he kept his knife out.

Olia trotted over to where the skid marks ended. The stone there was crushed and scraped up into a pile, so whatever had hit, had actually come to a rest instead of taking off again. There were massive scratches around and in the marks.

"I don't get it." Olia crouched to brush a paw across one of the scratches. "This looks like an animal made it, but what would an animal want with a ship. Usually, they just break inside and take everything out."

"Not to mention, there are no drag marks away or footprints," Keith pointed out. "Something that large couldn't just carry it off without a trace, right?"

Olia hummed in thought. "I'm not sure. I have never been to this planet, so there could be a creature here I have never seen before." She started walking away, eyes down to search for some more clues.

"One that eats metal?"

"I've heard of stranger. There's a creature called a Weblum that eats entire planets in one gulp."

Keith stared at her. "You're pulling my leg."

"No, I'm not. I'm over here."

Keith snorted. "I meant that you are making it up."

"Oh. Well, I am not making it up, either. They aren't around here, though. They only eat planets that are abandoned." Olia stopped. "Hey, look at this."

Keith hurried over as Olia inspected another mess of scratches. Some of them are larger than the first set, so Olia decided there must have been two creatures. The ground has some crushed spots, like something large had rested there, but there is no marks leading to or from the site.

"Whatever made these marks must have some flight ability," Olia decided.

"Great," Keith dead-panned, glancing at the gray sky. "How about we get out of here before they get back?"

"Just a little bit longer," Olia said. "I'm really curious now."

Olia walked away from the marks onto flat, empty stone. In front of her was some sort of stone plain, empty of even stone columns and completely flat with the exception of small mounds of stone. The ground seemed to shake beneath her paws.

"Odd," Olia murmured, kneeling to press her ear to the ground.

A rumbling sound rose from deep inside the ground. It gradually became louder, as if the source was… getting closer!

A hand grabbed Olia's arm and jerked her backward, just as the ground erupted in a geyser of water. Olia staggered back and fell, yelping in fear as stone and water rained down on her.

Keith jerked her up, yelling, "Back to the Clunker!"

Olia nodded and the pair ran for the ship, only to have another geyser shoot up in front of them. Every time they dodged one geyser, another would open up, until they were far from the ship.

Keith growled and broke into a run, pulling Olia with him.

"Wait! The Clunker's that way!" Olia cried. She pulled her hand free and pointed behind them..

"We can't go back that way," Keith said fiercely. "We need to get out of this geyser field and-" he broke off to shove Olia one way and spun around the other, right as a geyser opened up where they would have been that second. As they regrouped and continued to run, Keith finished, "Find another way back."

Olia eyed Keith curiously as they ran. Before, he had always had a vaguely confused expression on his face, but that confusion was gone. His face was drawn in intense concentration, eyes darting about as he plotted out the best route.

"There!" Keith blurted, arm whipping up to point slightly to the left. "Once we get off the plain and into the valley, the geysers will stop."

Olia had to leap forward as the ground exploded right behind her, falling to run on all fours. "I'm up for it."

Keith dug in his heels and hurdled Olia, barely getting out of the way of another geyser that shot up where his feet had been seconds ago.

"A hundred more feet!" Keith cried.

Olia lowered her head and pushed herself faster. Fifty feet… then twenty… ten… three…

"Look out!" Keith yelled, just as the largest geyser yet exploded on their heels.

The pair was thrown off their feet, unable to stop themselves as they tumbled helplessly down the steep slope. Stones jabbed Olia's body and arms she had wrapped around her face as she rolled out of control.

Her tumble came to an abrupt and painful stop as she slammed stomach-first into a boulder. Keith rolled past her, coming to a slower stop when he reached level ground.

Olia couldn't bring herself to move for a long moment. Her lungs were painfully empty, and her stomach felt awful.

Keith staggered to his feet and turned. "Are you okay?"

Olia grunted and pushed herself to her knees. "I think I'll live. Caneen are hardy. How did you know we would be safe here?"

"I'm not sure. It just felt right, that getting off of the plains meant getting away from the geysers."

"Instinct."

"Guess so." Keith smiled at her as he began to climb to her, only to freeze. Terror filled his eyes. "Don't move."

Olia stiffened. "What is it?"

A low growl from behind was Olia's answer. She slowly turned her head and spotted a dark cave in the valley walls. A large purple paw emerged from the shadows, followed by a red-eyed, tusked face. The giant lizard thing gave a rumbling growl, baring small sharp teeth. It looked mad.

And hungry.

* * *

 **A/N: My hope is to have two to three chapters about each of the planets Keith and Olia visits. Each should have some sort of major memory, revelation, or character building that leads the pair closer to Voltron. Some of these planets will be canonly familiar, while others I made up.**


	15. A Fight Twice Fought

Blade saw the lizard beast without really seeing it. In his mind's eye, there wasn't one beast, but four. And it wasn't Olia huddled in front of it, but a black and white armored figure.

"Get back!" Blade yelled. He raced in front of Olia, holding out his knife, which was pitifully small compared to the beast in front of them.

For a minute, Blade and the beast stared at each other. Then there was a blast from behind Blade. The beast staggered at the unexpected laser blast to its face. Blade jumped at the explosion, then was being pulled away.

"Come on, while its still stunned!" Olia shouted in Blade's ear, fully startling him fully out of his stupor.

Blade shook his head and turned to run after Olia. He glanced worriedly at Olia running at his side. Her paw was pressed to her stomach, panting as unevenly at her lopsided gait.

"We need to find cover," Blade said.

Olia grimaced and dropped to all fours to run. "We need to get to the Clunker."

"You can't run that far."

A deep-throated roar from behind cut off Olia's protest. Thumping footsteps alerted Blade that the beast had already started its chase. He glanced behind to see the beast only yards away. Two more steps, and it would pounce!

"If we separate, we might have a chance," Olia panted.

Blade looked at her in disbelief. If they separated, the beast would go after the weakest and slowest of the two. Namely, Olia.

"Not happening," Blade said through gritted teeth.

Blade planted his feet and spun around. The beast was feet away, preparing its final pounce. Blade lifted his knife, then crossed his free arm in front of him, as if that could give him some protection. He heard a yelp from Olia, just as the beast leaped.

" _How strong is this armor?"_ Blade thought as the events in front of him seemed to go in slow motion. " _I need something more. I need-"_

Something blue and transparent appeared between Blade's arm and the beast's head. A split second later, the beast slammed into the object. Blade was thrown backward, tumbling into Olia. The two skidded across the ground, before stopping against a stone wall.

Blade hurriedly sat up. The beast shook its head, staggering slightly. Blade raised his arm and touched what had looked non tangible.

 _A shield._

Olia lifted her head. "How did you do that?"

Blade shook his head. No time to explain -not that he had any way to explain- they had to hide before the beast recovered.

"In there," Blade said, spotting a split in the stone wall.

Olia wobbled to her paws, even more unsteady from the throw. Blade helped her halfway up, then all but shoved her into the hole before squeezing in after her.

 _Clunk_

Blade thought his heart would stop when the shield got stuck at the opening. He jerked and thrashed, panic increasing as he saw the beast running toward him.

"Aw, come on," Blade growled.

The beast crashed head-first into the wall, luckily too big for even it's paw to fit. But that didn't stop it from slamming repeatedly in the wall, making cracks in the stone and pebbles to rattle down on Blade's armor.

"Come on," Olia called from where she was further in.

"I'm trying!"

Olia's paws wrapped around Blade's arm and tugged. "Well, how did you get that thing out in the first place?"

"If I knew that, I would turn it off!" Blade yelled, pulling so hard, he felt like his shoulder might dislocate.

Just then, the pounding from outside stopped. Blade paused in his tugging. Was it leaving? He barely dared to breathe in the following silence.

Then, with dramatic slowness, a large claw slid in between the top of the shield and the crevasse's top. It curled down, hooking onto the shield.

"Oh, quiz-"

The claw jerked outward, cutting off Blade as he was flung into the open. He twisted, hitting the ground with the shield to absorb impact, and rolled several times before thrusting himself to his feet.

Now a hundred feet from the relative safety of the crack, Blade once again faced off against the beast.

"Blade!" Olia cried, creeping into the open.

"Stay there," Blade ordered as the beast crept closer to him.

"But-"

"Don't move!" Blade yelled, sprinting forward.

The beast, apparently not expecting Blade to attack first, didn't dodge out of the way fast enough. Blade slammed the shield into the side of its face. He slashed out with the knife, but the short blade barely scratched the tough skin. Growling in frustration, he ducked under the beast's stomach before it could recover from the shield to the face.

The beast roared and spun in a circle, trying to figure out where Blade had gone. It was all Blade could do to keep out of the way of its stomping paws. Finally, it stilled. Blade hunched beneath it, trying to catch his breath as quietly as possible.

After a minute, Blade realized something was wrong. Slowly, he turned his head.

The beast had tipped its head down and was currently staring at Blade from up-side down. If the beast could grin, it would have been doing that.

Blade started to run, only to have the beast twist and whip its tail around. The tail caught Blade around the middle and flung him into the air.

"Ahh!" Blade yelled.

He instinctively curled his body into a ball, holding his shield over his head to protect it as he crashed and rolled to the ground.

This time, Blade couldn't bring himself right to his feet. He stared numbly at the charging beast for a second before his eyes widened. He scrambled to his knees and lifted the shield.

Except… the shield was gone.

Blade stared at his armored arm. "Oh, really? _Now_ you turn off?!"

Blade threw himself in a sideways roll that barely got him out of the beast's charge. He staggered halfway to his feet before his legs skidded out from under him. The beast bellowed above him, and Blade rolled onto his back to see its paw hanging over him.

Blade clenched his eyes shut. " _This is it!"_

There was a wild cry, causing Blade's eyes to snap open again in time to see a brown blur leap onto the beast's paw. She scratched at its skin with her claws, which must have been sharper than Blade thought, because the beast roared in apparent pain and tried to shake Olia off.

"Olia, what are you doing!?" With the imminent threat distracted, Blade was able to get to his feet.

"Helping!" cried Olia, digging in her claws even deeper to stay in place.

"You're nuts!" Blade shouted at her.

"That's what they all-" Olia stopped as the beast raised its paw and opened it mouth. "Oops, this is my stop!"

Olia released her grip and kicked off, getting clear seconds before the beast chomped down where she had been. Instead, it bit its own paw.

Olia landed in a tumble that looked half-way on purpose, rolling to her paws with a grimace. "Back to the cave!"

Blade and Olia took off. They ran under the beast's belly, ducked under the wildly swinging tail, and dove into the split. Unimpaired this time, Blade was able to follow Olia as she made her way deeper into the cave before stopping about fifty feet in.

"We should be safe here," Olia said.

There was a loud crash, and the ground shook a little. Blade turned toward the entrance, where the beast had its head in front of the opening. It huffed, then turned and walked away.

"It's leaving," Olia said.

"Could just be a trick. We'd better stay here for a bit."

Olia responded by turning on a flashlight that Blade hadn't seen before. Blade squinted in the sudden light.

"Where did that come from?"

"Big pockets," Olia said with a grin. She rummaged around for a bit, then held out a ration bar. "Hungry?"

Blade accepted the bar. "Sure. Almost being squashed gives me an appetite."

The pair sat against the wall and ate in silence for a bit, before Blade noticed Olia had a paw pressed against her stomach.

"Are you okay? You hit that rock pretty hard."

Olia shrugged. "I stopped, didn't I?"

Blade pushed himself into a crouch. "Let me see."

Olia stood up abruptly. "Once we get back to the Clunker."

Blade sighed, but only stood and followed Olia as she picked her way deeper into the cave.


	16. Hangin' On

**A/N: The people -cough- person -cough- have spoken! I shall continue to refer to Keith as "Keith," except for when Olia and other resistance members speak to him.**

* * *

"How deep is this place?" Keith asked after half an hour.

Keith's question echoed eerily back at him. Olia's ears twitched and started to flatten. Her neck fur seemed fluffed up a bit, like a nervous dog.

Keith didn't blame Olia. The was only wide enough for them to walk single file, so Keith couldn't even see what was ahead unless he peered over Olia's shoulder, not that there was much to see in the winding tunnel. The ground underfoot was relatively smooth, but the walls were jagged, so they were careful to stay in the middle.

Of course, she could have been tense because of the hit in the stomach. Even from behind, Keith could see her paw pressed against it. It had to be hurting her, but she never said a word.

" _Tough… or stubborn?"_ Keith thought with a shake of his head.

"Let's rest for a bit," Keith suggested, trying to sound winded.

Olia glanced over her shoulder. Keith could see from her expression that she saw right through his act.

"Not yet. I've been getting whiffs of fresh air, so this tunnel must lead out soon," Olia said.

Keith sniffed. "I don't smell anything."

"Caneen noses are better than humans, probably."

"You remind me more and more of a dog," Keith said.

"I asked Matt about dogs. I'm not really fond of the comparison any longer."

"Your tail wags when you're happy, you have a good sense of smell." Keith snorted. "Olia, your hackles are raised and I'm pretty sure you have been growling for the last five minutes."

"And?"

"That's what dogs do! I'm not saying it in a bad way; there are lots of good things about dogs. They are known as being loyal. Hardy. Friends."

Olia cocked her head. After a moment, she said, " Okay, I'll accept it on those grounds, as long as you don't call me a dog around Matt."

Keith grinned. "Deal."

Olia's sense of smell proved to be correct, as the tunnel opened up in another one of the canyons.

Olia poked her head out and around, sniffing. "I don't think anything is here."

Keith still pulled out his knife. "Think you can get to the Clunker from here?"

Olia's head tipped up and around. "Hmm, yeah. The tunnel turned a lot, but it went mostly in one direction. Once we get out of the canyon, we should be able to see it."

"There's a path that leads to the top," Keith said, stepping further out and pointing.

"Then that's what we will take." Olia started for the path, then stiffened.

Keith whipped around, afraid one of the lizard beasts had snuck up, but saw nothing. There was a groan from Olia, and when Keith turned back, she was sitting on the ground, paw to her stomach.

"Olia!" Keith dropped to his knees.

Olia tried to wave him off. "I'm… I'm fine. Just got dizzy all of the sudden."

"Dizzy? You're shaking!"

Olia attempted a grin, but gave another groan and bent over double. "Okay… so… maybe my stomach hurts a little."

"A little."

Olia moaned. "Okay, a _lot_."

"I need to see it."

Keith tried to lift Olia's shirt, but she stopped him with a paw. "Wait… Mikkal gave us medicines before we left. There are… oils for pain and ointments for bruises. If we can get back to… the Clunker, I will be fine."

"Tell you what. You wait here, and I'll bring the Clunker to you," Keith said, hoping Olia would accept a compromise. "The valley floor should be big enough to land in, and you can take cover under in the tunnel until I get back."

Olia made a face -whether to mask her pain or the idea was actually that undesirable to her, Keith couldn't tell- but nodded.

"Fine."

Relieved, Keith helped Olia back into the tunnel, far enough down to keep her safe in case any of the beasts appeared. He ran out of the tunnel, promising to return as soon as he could.

"Just hang on!" Keith called before sprinting up the path.

" _Hang on."  
_ _It seemed like he had been saying that a lot in the last few minutes, but he could think of nothing else. Intent on running, he repeated those two words over and over again._

 _Ahead, a large arrow seemed to hover over space, guiding him onward toward his destination that never got closer._

 _He pushed his tired limbs for more speed. Silently, he begged for his companion to be okay, to be there when he arrived._

" _Hang on," he panted. "I'm coming."_

A stone caught Keith's foot, startling him out of the dream, memory, whatever it had been. He looked up, and was relieved to see the Clunker still in view.

Keith broke into another jog. Since he was approaching from the opposite angle, it appeared that he wouldn't have to cross the geyser fields, a great relief to his wrung-out body. Between the fight with the beast and the odd flashes of maybe-memories, Keith was exhausted. He just wanted to get back into the air and take a break.

Keith soon reached the Clunker without any issues and gratefully clattered inside. He climbed into the pilot seat and gratefully sunk down. He fired up the engines and eased the Clunker into the air. He flew over to the ravine and landed inside, then ran out.

"Olia!" Keith called, running over to where the cave was.

Or… where he thought it was.

Keith frowned at the blank wall. Maybe he had just gotten turned around a bit. Uncertain, he backed up and scanned the stone walls, searching for the tunnel where Olia hid.

Nothing.

"No. No, no, Olia!" Keith yelled, voice echoing down the ravine.

"Here!" came Olia's voice.

Keith sighed and ran over to where Olia's voice had come from. A pile of boulders had hidden it from Keith's sight. As he rounded the boulders, he saw Olia walking out. Her paw was still against her stomach, but she seemed steadier now. Nevertheless, he still insisted on wrapping her arm over his shoulder to help her walk.

"What was with all the shouting?" Olia asked as they walked up the ramp.

"I got a bit turned around," Keith admitted. "I had a flashback or something on the way to the Clunker, and I must have changed course a bit."

"What did you remember?"

"Mostly the same as before. I'm chasing after someone…" Keith shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Olia didn't say anything as Keith helped her onto the bed. He pulled out the bag of medicines from where they had stashed it under the bed and pulled out a list of the medicines and their purposes. He then rummaged around the bag before pulling out a jar and a bottle.

"So, the list says this jar will help with the swelling, and to put a few drops from the bottle in water and drink it to help with the pain. Were you cut at all?"

"Just a few scrapes, no need for medicine on those," Olia said, reaching for the jar.

Keith held it out of reach. "Pull up your shirt, and I will decide if you need anything more."

Olia grinned at Keith. "It's okay, Blade. I've handled worse before, on my own."

Keith blinked. Something about what she had said was familiar…

Before he could decide what it was, Olia snatched the jar in his moment of distraction.

"I've got this," Olia said. "Why don't you get us out of here before we have any more unwanted surprises, eh?"

Keith shook his head, dismissing his previous thought. "Okay. Just call if you need anything."

Olia nodded in agreement. Keith put the bottle beside Olia, then a canteen from their supplies, before going back to the pilot's seat. As he sat, the radio crackled.

"Olia, Olia, I hope you can hear me," came Eni's voice.

Keith started to reach for the headset, then remembered the radio couldn't transmit. He turned in his seat, and saw Olia's ears perk up. He turned back to the radio.

"I know you can't respond, so I just hope you are listening. Lt. Ozar is letting me send this message only once."

Olia snorted. "Probably demanding me to come straight back."

"But why would he only let the order go once?" Keith asked.

"There's always the possibility of someone listening in on even the most private radio signals. Only officers get the private communicators. Now hush, I want to hear this."

"Te-Osh's meeting with the merchant was compromised, and the Galra were there."

There was a gasp from Olia, then she was suddenly in the co-pilot's seat. Keith was about to scold her, but she forcefully shushed him.

"No one was caught or hurt, but it is too risky for her team -anyone on her team- to try to return to base or even communicate with us. Te-Osh said one of her team's communicators were lost, so she risked only one transmission before calling for permanent radio silence unless the communicator is recovered."

"I don't understand," Keith said.

"When a rebel team is found by the Galra, there is a huge risk that they could track them back to a base. The team has to go into hiding for a long time," Olia said.

Keith didn't understand at first, then he slowly figured out what had Olia so upset. Eni's next words confirmed his thoughts.

"Matt will not be returning to MB29 any time soon, and his current whereabouts are unknown."


	17. Fragments

**N: Hi-bye, not to rush, but I'm SO behind it's not even funny. -runs away to type-**

* * *

"What?!" Olia growled, leaning toward the now-silent radio. "That's it?"

"What else is there?" Keith asked.

"I don't know." Olia huffed and would have stood to march away, but her still tender stomach prevented her from the abrupt act. "Why did they have to get found out? I told Matt that they would be found out soon."

"No one got hurt or caught," Keith said logically. "We'll meet up with him another time."

"But until then, are you content with staying on Kraydah's moon? Would you even be allowed to stay?" Olia addressed the question more to herself than Keith. "Lt. Ozar knows that able-bodied rebels are needed all over. He might move you to another base."

"I'd rather stay where you and Matt can find me," Keith said.

Olia jumped when he talked. She glanced at him from the side of her eye, telling her self to stop jumping like that all the time. He wasn't…

"Come with me, then," Olia said aloud. At Keith's startled expression, she went on. "There's nothing for you at Kraydah's moon, right? I don't usually head back without a good haul to appease Lt. Ozar. Come on, two sets of paws are better than two."

"You really want my company?" Keith asked.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

Keith gestured out the view port. "Well, what are we waiting for, then?"

* * *

"What exactly are we looking for?" Keith asked the next day, the pair having flown in shifts through the night.

"Planets with a high possibility of wreckage. Usually unpopulated planets, with signs of a crash sight, like broken terrain," Olia said.

Keith peered out at a planet that appeared to be smooth and yellow. "Have you salvaged around here?"

"No. Unless pickings were really good in one place, I try to keep to new places," Olia answered.

"Sounds… interesting."

Olia laughed, guessing that he was thinking of the giant lizards at the last planet. "It's kind of boring at times, actually. Most uninhabited planets have little when it comes to natural flora and fauna. The last planet was an exception."

"Are these planets named?"

"Sort of. Just a bunch of numbers and letters. If my charts were more up to date, maybe they have been named by now, but there isn't really the need when you're just a scavenger."

"Hey, what about that one?" Keith asked.

Olia turned to see where he was pointing. In the shadow of the yellow planet was a small, forested one. There was a patch of black covering a section, indicating something burned there, possibly a crashed ship.

"Excellent spotting," Olia praised. "I'm uncertain if anything could have survived from a fire that size, but it is worth checking out."

Olia landed a safe distance from the still-burning forest. She stood and stretched cautiously, satisfied to find there bruises barely ached.

After donning breathing masks, the pair left and carefully made their way through the dense forest toward the wreckage.

Well, what they had thought was wreckage.

"Wha- what happened here?" Keith gasped, as they emerged into the burnt-out area.

Olia narrowed her eyes at the smoldering remains of a village. Black shells of houses leaned haphazardly in all directions, ready fall in the slightest breeze. Several did fall in the next minute, their crash echoing eerily through the air. Broken tools, but no weapons, lay scattered about, indicating the inhabitants had to have been unprepared to properly fend off the attack. Clearings nearby held the ashes of harvest.

"The Galra," Olia hissed. "They do this all the time, sweeping down on defenseless planets and ruining homes. They take the inhabitants and supplies with them, and burn what they cannot." Olia turned. "Come. There may still be villagers hiding nearby."

Olia started walking away, then realized Keith hadn't moved. She paused and looked back.

Keith had moved to a house frame that still blazed. It rumbled and shifted, but Keith only continued to stare at it. Olia walked closer, and realized Keith was speaking.

"They tricked us," Keith muttered in a distant voice. "It was just a diversion to separate us and thin the Castle defenses!" Keith whipped around at the last word, eyes focused on the distance.

"Blade?" Olia asked when he didn't move right off.

Keith shook head. "We have to get back to… to…" His eyes cleared. "Olia, what happened?"

"I don't know. You started rambling about being tricked and castle defenses." Olia waved a paw at the empty village. "I assume it was another flashback."

Keith pressed a hand to his head. "Every time I think I am remembering, it's just flashes of chaos and panic. What if… what if they are memories from when I left Earth? What sort of situation is my home world in?"

"No. Surely, if Earth had fallen to the Galra, the resistance would have heard."

Keith flung his arms out. "As you did this planet!?"

Keith and Olia stared at each other for a long moment, until Olia's head dropped.

"No. Resistance communications are risky, and news is passed through travelers and traders." Olia admitted. "I suppose I just prefer to remain optimistic."

Keith ran a hand through his hair, frustration creasing his face. "Sorry, I just… can't remember, and it's killing me."

Olia's eyes widened in alarm. "I didn't know memory loss could be fatal! Why didn't Matt say anything?!"

"It's just a saying," Keith said with a sigh, though he did smile a bit at Olia's panic.

"Oh. Well." Olia looked around. "Let's check around. There may be villagers in need of help, or supplies we can use ourselves."

Olia sniffed the air, trying to get a scent of the inhabitants to the planet. She could smell smoke, Galra, and a very faint scent that reminded Olia of Te-Osh. Or, more specifically, her feathers.

"This place had some serious birds," Keith commented, holding up a wispy green feather as long as his arm.

"Could be the inhabitants were feathered," Olia said. She grimaced. "This smoke is covering all other smells. Let's try further in the woods."

Olia and Keith headed into the trees, stamping out small fires as they went. Olia's nose detected the feather smell stronger here.

"Look," Keith said, pointing to deep footprints in the dirt.

"Galra Sentries." Olia said. "We'd better hope none stuck around."

Olia paused to sniff the trunk of a tree, then felt something hit the back of her head. She started, turning her head to see Keith nearby, but he was facing the opposite direction. She shrugged and turned back to the tree, only for it to happen a second time.

"Hey, quit that!" Olia said, turning to scowl at Keith.

Keith started to turn, but flinched. One hand went to the top of his head as he said, "Quit what? You're the one throwing things."

"It wasn't-" something smacked Olia in the face, cutting her off. Growling, she shook her head. "Okay, who's doing that?"

Olia became aware of a clicking sound coming from above. Looking up, it seemed normal at first, then she realized that the branches were moving way too much to be a breeze.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Keith said, also staring up.

Out of nowhere, stones rained down on the pair. Olia yelped in shock and pain, ducking her head in an attempt to protect herself.

"Get to the Clunker!" she yelled.

Olia tried to run, but stones thunking against the side of her face forced her to turn to the right. Keith was having the same problem, and they found themselves running deeper into the trees.

"What are they?!" Keith exclaimed.

"I don't know, but," Olia dodged further right, and the barrage lessened, "I think we are getting out of range."

No sooner had Olia said this, she tripped. Stumbling for balance, Olia felt something tighten around her foot and jerked her skyward.

"Olia!" Keith yelled, skidding to a halt.

Olia dangled twenty feet off the ground, suspended by a vine around one foot. Grimacing as her bruised skin stretched, she curled her body up, grabbing the vine with one paw.

Looking around, Olia was now aware of large black eyes watching her. From her new view point, she could now see willowy, feathered creatures scurrying around the branches.

"It was a trap," Olia thought.

In spite of herself, she was impressed. The creatures had herded her and Keith right into the trap. It was such a simple trap, too. Just a loop of vine thrown over a branch and presumably tied to something that had gone taut when she had tripped.

Olia turned her attention back to Keith on the ground. "Blade! Find where the vine ties off, and cut me down!"

While Keith searched, Olia went back to studying the feathered creatures.

They moved ungracefully through the tree branches, often slipping. If it hadn't been for their long limbs that tangled with the branches when they flailed, Olia suspected many would have fallen to the ground by now. They all wore a vine belt with large rocks tied on them, bigger than the stones that they had chucked at her and Keith. They chittered to one another as they moved restlessly around.

They seemed rather harmless, actually, until Olia noticed a flurry of movement in one spot. Focusing on them, Olia realized they were wrestling a large chunk of wood into place. They chittered and pointed below. Olia tipped her head down, and felt her breath catch.

"Blade, look out!"

Keith looked up at Olia scream, in the same moment, the creatures released the wood above his head. He wasted no time in lunging to the side, rolling clear seconds before the wood hit the ground.

The feather aliens gave a collective groaning chirp. Some waved their arms around, making a screeching sound, before disappearing into the foliage. Distracted as they were, they never noticed that Keith was still in motion.

Keith raced to the nearest tree. He reached up and easily pulled himself to the first branch, then quickly made his way further up.

Olia watched, hardly daring to breathe in fear of attracting attention. Had the feather aliens really forgotten them that fast?

Keith was soon level with some of the creatures. He reached for another branch, then froze as he spotted the creatures. His eyes flickered over to Olia, who shrugged. He started to creep closer.

At that moment, Keith's white armor was spotted. Pointing and chirping, the creatures made an abrupt and ungainly attempt for higher branches.

Keith burst forward, catching a creature by its foot and dragging it back down to the branch. Despite it being twice his size, Keith wrestled it down with seemingly little effort. He knelt, pinning its arms under his knees, and drew his knife.

Olia sucked in a breath. "Blade, don't hurt it!"

Keith didn't respond, only held the knife threateningly over the creature while turning his challenging gaze to the branches above, which were shaking wildly in the creatures' distress at their captured comrade.

When Keith made no move, the shaking and chattering slowly trailed off. The forest fell still and silent.

After another long moment, Keith slowly released the creature and stood.


	18. Drifting

**A/N: Most of the "Ck" sounds come out as a cross of a click and static, unpronounceable by the human (and Caneen) tongue. Since I didn't really describe them well, the Chinook are based on parrots (They were meant to have beaks) and the Night People from the 2014 movie Mune.**

 **When Olia's backstory is eventually given, would it be preferable in flashback form or with Olia telling her story?**

* * *

Keith's entire frame was tense as he backed away from the bird-thing. It stared at him with its huge opaque eyes, then leaped to its feet. Keith tensed, but the creature merely jumped and climbed to higher branches. As the chattering started up again, Keith could only hope that he had made the right decision.

Gradually, the sounds quieted, then a pair of the bird creatures dropped to a branch across from Keith. They pointed at Keith, clicking to each other, then one stepped forward.

The creature startled Keith by asking in a male-sounding, clicking voice, "Are you a friend to the Ckinook?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Keith said, trying to shake off his shock. "We didn't even know the Ch… Chinook," -Keith struggled unsuccessfully to make the clicking sound at the start of the name- ",until we found your village."

The Ckinook cocked his head. "Village?"

"You know… where you lived? With the houses."

"Ah." Both Ckinook gave a mournful whistle. "Our nests."

Keith had to hold back a grin. Why were aliens so reminiscent of Earth animals?

"We meant no harm," Olia said. Everyone looked at the dangling Caneen. "We only came to check things out."

"Could you let her down?" Keith asked.

The Ckinook that had been speaking made a gesture and clicked. Olia started to lower gently down. About three feet from the ground, though, there was a squawk from the upper branches. The vine around Olia's food went slack, causing her to crash to the ground.

"Olia!"

Keith scrambled to the ground and ran over to Olia, who laid on her side with her knees pulled up. She was whimpering.

"Olia?" Keith knelt and put a hand on her shoulder.

Olia's breath hissed through her teeth as she gritted out. "I landed on my bruises."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"  
Keith jumped like Olia always did when he abruptly spoke. He turned to see the lead Ckinook at his side, somehow having arrived without a sound.

"We are so unused to the tree tops, we lose our balance so easily." It seemed the more agitated the Ckinook got, the more he clicked between words. "I'll have a word with-"

Olia raised a paw, halting him as she stood. "It's fine. It just surprised me, is all."

Keith snorted, grabbing her shoulder when she wobbled. "You should lay down. Do you know where our ship is?" he asked the Ckinook, ignoring Olia's protesting.

"Your… ship? Is that what that flying nest is?" the Ckinook asked.

"Yeah, that's our… nest," Keith said.

"Ingenius. It had never occurred to us that nests could fly."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Keith said with a chuckle.

The Ckinook shrugged his scrawny shoulders. "Well, the Ckinook have been content on the ground for this long. It's probably best that we stay here, anyway."

"Ckalor!"

Yet again, Keith jumped. He spun away from Olia to see another Ckinook on the ground. How did something so ungainly in the trees get so quietly to the ground?

The lead Ckinook -Ckalor- turned to the other. "What is it, Lackock?"

"We've lost track of Sick and her daughter Nickal. They got scared when the furry one stepped in the trap."

"Furry one?" Keith heard Olia mutter.

"To the tops!" Ckalor cried.

Ckalor and Lackock then leaped _ten feet_ straight up to catch hold of tree branches. They disappeared into the foliage with a large amount of shaking and chirping.

For a minute, Keith and Olia could only stare up at the disappearing Ckinook.

"This I gotta see," Keith said. He started for the nearest tree, then paused to point a finger back at Olia. "You stay put."

"I'm-"

"Finish that sentence, and I'm flying us straight back to Kraydah's moon."

Olia clamped her mouth shut. She glared at Keith, but he thought there was a hint of relief in her gaze.

"I'll be right back."

Keith scrambled up the now-empty branches, toward the chirping he heard further up. It didn't take him long to reach where the Ckinook had gathered.

The feathered aliens were so engrossed with searching the branches that they didn't even notice Keith was there. One even lifted his arm, checking underneath like it was yet another branch, before moving on.

"What are you doing?" Keith asked.

No one answered. He frowned at the aliens' oblivion, then there was a cry that made them all look up.

"I found Nickal's grounder!"

Keith turned in the direction of the call, and saw a Ckinook holding up one of the belts they all wore. As soon as the other Ckinook's saw what he held, they immediately sprang up and headed for higher branches.

"Would someone-" Keith groaned in frustration.

Keith climbed after the Ckinook, until finding himself on branches that swayed dangerously under his weight. The Ckinook hopped on, barely even causing the branches to bend. Keith remembered how easily he had subdued the one Ckinook, and decided that they were an incredibly light alien.

Keith stayed where he was, straining to see through the gaps in the leaves. There was a growing commotion from above.

Spotting a taller tree with thicker branches extending above the treeline, Keith climbed up to see what the problem was. He settled on a wide enough branch with his legs on either side, then tried to make sense of the scene in front of him.

More Ckinook that Keith had realized where around had gathered, turning the treetops into feathery chaos. They were all chirping and shifting around. Sometimes one would make a very impressive leap, though the ones in the trees groaned once they landed.

"Hey!" Keith called when a Ckinook settled down near him. "What's going on?"

The Ckinook pointed up. "Nickal is drifting, and none of us can reach her."

"Drifting?"

Keith looked up, then had to steady himself with his hands before he fell off the branch.

Some thirty feet from the treetops was a single Ckinook, just floating in the air. She looked smaller than the others, but that could have just been because she was so high. And she seemed to be slowly rising.

Now Keith understood. The Ckinook were light, much lighter than he had first thought. The "grounders" were purposed to keep them heavy enough to stay on the ground.

"How is she going to get back down?" Keith asked, gaping up.

"I do not know," said the Ckinook. "None of us can jump high enough to grab her, not with enough weight to reground them both."

"So she's just going to float away?" Keith asked, shocked.

The Ckinook lowered his head. "She will not be the first."

The other Ckinook had ceased their efforts. They started a low, mourning croon that slowly got louder. Nickal gave a cry of her own.

" _They aren't just going to do nothing?"_ Keith wondered. " _Then again… what could they do?"_

"Hey, are there ropes or vines around here?" Keith asked. "If we tied one end to a Chinook, they could go up and get her."

"Not here."

Keith groaned. He hadn't seen vines on his way up, so they must grow at a different part of the forest. There was rope on the Clunker, but would there be time to get there and back?

Keith scrambled as high as he dared in the tree to stand. Nickal was still more than twenty-five feet above the top of his tree, higher than he had seen the Ckinook jump.

He crouched and tensed to jump, though he knew it would be pointless. Then, he heard a click from behind. He turned and saw something now jutting out of his armor. He quickly turned his attention away as he prepared to jump.

" _Unless they are jetpacks, they are-"_

Keith's thoughts broke off as there was a blast from the objects. They flashed brightly, then Keith was sent soaring skyward at an incredible speed.

" _It_ is _a jetpack?!"_

Keith forced back his confusion. He was rising fast, though losing momentum. Nickal was only a few yards above him, and off to the left. He angled his body and reached out, wrapping his arms around the Ckinook's waist from behind the second the jetpack sputtered out.

" _Landing's gonna hurt,"_ he thought with a wince.

A second later, though, Keith realized that he and Nickal were falling quite slowly. So, they were light enough to support a human.

"Who are you?" Nickal abruptly asked. She was straining to see behind her.

"Blade." Keith shifted his hold to her shoulders so he could lean sideways.

"Oh, the smooth-skin," Nickal said.

"Uh, yeah. That's me."

Something brushed Keith's foot, and they stopped descending. He looked down and saw they had reached the treetops.

Ckinook were bounding closer. Keith kept a firm grip on Nickal as they surrounded her, chirping joyously. One came up and secured Nickal's grounder around her waist.

"You good now?" Keith asked. "You won't float away?"

Nickal nodded, eyes bright with thanks. "No. Thank you. You saved my life."

"It was nothing."

When Keith said that, the Ckinook immediately started shaking their heads and joined in the thanks.

Awkward with the attention, Keith let go and stepped back. A split-second later, he regretted it.

He and Nickal had landed on the treetops, not a sturdy branch. They had held the pair's weight, only because Nickal was still supporting them. With the addition of her grounders, they had still only sunk slightly. Keith, however, was no Ckinook.

The second he stepped away from Nichal's support, there was a _crack._ The branches under him snapped, and he fell.

* * *

Olia was resting against a tree trunk, when there was a rustling from the branches. She glanced up, then slowly stood when she saw the Ckinook making their ungraceful way down. She searched the group for Keith, but couldn't spot him at first.

"Friend of Blade!"

A Ckinook dropped from a branch, and drifted to the ground. She was smaller than the others, only a head taller than Olia as opposed to twice her height.

"My name's Olia." Olia looked up. "Where is Blade?"

Two more Ckinook drifted toward the ground, huddled together. As they got closer, she saw a flash of white. They landed softly on the ground, then turned so Olia could now see they were holding something.

Or rather, someone.

"Blade!"

Olia rushed over. Keith was unconscious and his face was scratched, but she couldn't see any major injuries. Luckily, his breathing mask was still intact and in place.

"What happened?" Olia demanded.

"He flew up to rescue Nickal," said the Ckinook whose voice Olia recognized as Ckalor. "But when he landed, the branches did not support him as they do us. He fell like a stone."

Olia stared, only understanding about half of the explanation. Before she could ask for more, Keith shifted and groaned.

"Put him down."

Olia sat as the Ckinook obeyed her order. They settled Keith gently in the brush. After a moment, his eyes crept open.

"Wha-" Keith winced and raised a hand to his chest. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Chalor said you fell?"

"Right. I forgot that I was too heavy." With each word, Keith's voice strengthened. His extremely confused expression faded to his normal mild confusion. "It's fine, I just got the wind knocked out of me."

Olia lifted her head to Ckalor. "Did his breathing mask fall off at all?"

"It was off center," Ckalor said with a shrug.

"Great." Olia cocked her head at Keith. "You should be fine. I think it would be very obvious if you had breathed any of this air."

"Why?" Keith asked cautiously.

"This atmosphere is almost all helium," Olia said with a giggle.

"Helium? Oh, that makes sense now," Keith said, nodding at something Olia didn't know. "The Chinook are a helium breathing race, and really buoyant."

"Okay, you owe me an explanation," Olia said, shaking her head. "Can you walk?"

Keith responded by standing. "I told you, just had the wind knocked out of me."

"Good, let's just head back to the Clunker," Olia said. "It's starting to get dark."

Ckalor stepped forward. "We would like to make up for you two both falling. Please, come with us to our nests."

Keith and Olia looked at each other and shrugged. Olia was certainly curious about their new acquaintances, and had a feeling Keith was, too.

"Alright, we'll come," Olia said.

* * *

"This isn't anything _at all_ that I expected," Keith said.

Staring up, Olia could only nod.

The Ckinook had led the way through a tunnel leading underground. It had opened into a massive cavern space. Ckinook belts were scattered across the ground, while the Ckinook drifted about the cave ceiling. Some climbed around on the walls, while others kicked themselves across the open air, completely weightless.

"This used to be the nursery, where they young Ckinook could play without drifting away," Ckalor explained while his accompanying Ckinook untied their belts and joined the others. "But since our above-ground nests were destroyed, it seemed sensible to take ourselves underground for a time."

"Can you defend yourself if the Galra return?" Olia asked.

"Galra?" Ckalor asked. "Is that what you call the bad ones with tools that only destroy?"

"Uh… yes," Olia said.

"We set traps in the woods," Ckalor said.

"That… that wouldn't do much against the Galra. There's too many."

"I know." Ckalor sighed. "All we can do is hide. We are not made to… to…" Ckalor waved a hand, knowing no word for fighting.

"The Galra have already come here. Would they still come back?" Keith asked.

"They could. The Galra are unpredictable. And if they met resistance, they would only come with more soldiers." Olia paused to watch the Ckinook happily drift about the cave. "And the Chinook really are not a war race."

"There's a saying from Earth, 'a good defense is the best offense,'" Keith said.

"How are you remembering all those sayings, and nothing else?" Olia asked.

Keith frowned at her and went on. "I'm saying that if the Galra were to return here, it would be smarter for the Chinook to hide. Once the Galra lose interest, they will leave the planet alone."

"It would work, I think," Olia said. "I've come across a lot of uninhabited planets. If there isn't someone to take control of, the Galra tend to leave those places alone."

"Excellent. I would not like to lose even more of my people…" Ckalor trailed off.

"Don't worry, Chalor," Olia said comfortingly. "The Galra's reign won't last forever. Maybe you will be reunited with your people again."

Ckalor smiled and gave a trill. "That is my hope."

* * *

While there was nothing to salvage, Keith was glad when Olia agreed to spend some time with the Ckinook. They were just so interesting to watch float around, and so energetic and cheerful.

"Nothing gets them down," Keith would say.

Olia would promptly -and sometimes in confusion- say, "They are a helium breathing race."

During the day, Keith would explore the land above-ground, led by the Ckinook. While the planet had first come across as merely forested, Keith was led to amazing valleys hidden by the canopies. The valleys had waterfalls and caves that the Ckinook knew every inch of.

Olia, meanwhile, stayed behind in the main cavern. She said she was inspecting the Ckinook's camouflage, but Keith suspected that her bruises were still hurting her.

At night, Keith and Olia would go back to the Clunker to eat, sleep, and refill their breathing tanks.

Keith thought that there was no threat for the Ckinook, until ships were spotted in the sky three days later.

Keith was harvesting vines with Nickal, Sick and another Ckinook named Acknah, when there was a shout from overhead.

"I see ships!"

Keith immediately dropped the vines he was carrying and climbed up to where Lackock had been keeping watch. When he reached thinner branches, he reached up. Lackock grabbed his hand. He then untied his grounders and gave a leap, so that Keith was lifted above the branches. With Keith suspended by Lackock and Keith weighing down the Ckinook, both were able to observe the purple ships entering the atmosphere.

"Is that the Galra?" Lackock asked.

"I don't know. I've never actually seen Galra or their ships, but Olia did say they were purple," Keith said. "We'd better get under cover."

Keith hooked a foot around a branch and pulled himself into a crouch. He kept his grip on Lickock until he had his grounder back on, then they both scrambled to the ground.

"You four head back to the cavern," Keith said. "Make sure everyone is undercover."

"What about you?" Nickal asked.

"Olia said she had to do something on the Clunker today. I'll see if she is still there, and meet you at the cavern if it is safe, okay?"

The Ckinook nodded and ran into the trees. Keith ran in a slightly different direction, where they had hidden the Clunker.

The Ckinook turned out to be really good camoflaging, and had helped hide the Clunker from view. They had created a canopy of vines and branches over the clearing the Clunker had landed in, then covered the whole ship in branches. It was practically invisible, unless one knew where it was.

Upon reaching the ship, Keith checked the skies, but the branches were just too dense for him to see anything. He saw that the ramp was down, and hurried inside.

Olia was seated on the bed, back to Keith. The top of her orange and gray flight suit was folded down, leaving her top half in a no-sleeved tunic. Her tunic was pulled half-way up and she was hunched slightly over, probably applying more of the ointment to her bruises.

Keith opened his mouth to get her attention, then his eyes fell on her exposed back. He gave an involuntary gasp.

Olia jumped. Jerking her shirt down, she spun and leaped to her feet. Something clattered to the floor, having been knocked from the bed in her abrupt action. It bounced and skidded to Keith's feet.

"Blade, I didn't hear you come in," Olia said with a strained smile.

Numbly, Keith crouched and picked up the object. It was some sort of pendent, a glass circle on a rope.

But Keith couldn't really focus on the pendent in his hand. "Olia… why is your back covered in scars?"


	19. Hiding

**A/N: Hey, look who's still alive! I didn't mean to post so late, hopefully time differences don't have this posting on Sunday for too many of my readers.**

* * *

 _Olia fell to her knees, the heavy bundle she was carrying thumping to the ground in front of her. Her chest heaved for breath, and her limbs shook. She couldn't rest, she knew, but couldn't force herself back to her feet._

" _Get back to work!"  
_ " _Please," Olia pleaded with a whimper, looking fearfully up at the Galra guard stomping toward her. "Just for a moment? I'm so tired."_

" _Lazy Caneen!"_

 _The guard lifted his glowing whip. Olia's eyes widened. She scrambled to stand, but her shaking legs gave out. The whip cracked, and Olia braced herself for the coming pain._

 _But it didn't come._

 _Wide-eyed, she turned her head, and saw a darker-furred Caneen standing between her and the guard. His back was to the guard, and his expression was tensed with pain._

" _Anaka!" Olia exclaimed, staring up at her little brother._

* * *

Olia pressed her ears flat and shook her head. She hadn't thought of that time in so long. It was too painful. One of the times that her brother had protected her from the Galra's savagery, but not even he could save her from every whipping. Her back of patchy fur and ugly, knotted scars testified to that.

"Olia," Keith said gently, kneeling in front of her. "What happened?"

Olia stared at her friend. His voice and face so reminded him of Anaka, it was no surprise that she jumped when he spoke. It was as if her brother were with her right now.

Olia gave another shake of her head, dispelling the thoughts. "Those scars are the reason I fight the Galra."

"They did this to you?"

Keith's eyes were confused. He was so new to this war, the thought of such cruelty was still foreign to him.

"Yes," Olia said. "They will stop at nothing until every free planet is crushed and under control. Every second the Galran empire stands, more people suffer." She plucked her pendant from Keith's hand, studying it for a moment before placing the loop over her head. "Maybe it was time we returned to Kraydah's moon, and I actually played a part in this war."

"We can't," Keith said.

Olia gave him an annoyed look. "And why not?"

Keith pointed toward the ceiling. "The Galra are here right now."

* * *

As Olia ran through the trees beside Keith, she was struggling to push back the memories she had suppressed for so long. Distracted, she kept stumbling. She saw Keith glancing at her, but she refused to slow.

Memories of her past were painful. Remembering them only made her upset. She had long ago told herself to stop returning to those painful times, and had for years.

But now, watching Keith struggle to regain his own memories, Olia was finding herself wondering if forgetting was really the answer.

Keith's voice cut through her musing. "We're here."

Olia blinked, realizing they had stopped. Keith was holding back the vine curtain hiding the Ckinook's current home from view. Still ignoring Keith's concerned expression, Olia ducked inside.

The cave was lit by bunches of glow-worms that the Ckinook gathered from caves around the planet. This now allowed them to hide, without worry of smoke giving them away.

"Chalor," Olia whispered, waving the lead Ckinook over. "Is everyone here?"

"One of the foraging parties are missing, still," Ckalor said, beak clicking in worry.

"The ships had already landed by the time we got here," Keith said. "If they aren't already undercover, they will be found."

"We told the Chinook to come here in case of invasion," Olia said. "What are they chances of them hiding elsewhere?"

"The nursery is the only place they will feel safe," Ckalor said regretfully. "They will try to make it here, rather than hide elsewhere."

Keith scowled. "Then we'd better get out there, and get them here."

Olia grinned. "I had a feeling you'd say that. Chalor, keep the rest of the Chinook here. Don't leave until the Galra are completely gone. We might make it back before then, but we might need to hide someplace else."

"Are you sure you will be fine?" Ckalor asked.

"Don't worry about us. Just keep everyone here and quiet."

Ckalor nodded. "We'll be awaiting your return."

* * *

"So who's missing and where?" Keith asked as they set out.

"It was a group of five, harvesting fruit in Echin Valley." Olia made a face. "How do they make that sound?"

"I think it's the beak," Keith said with a shrug.

"Down!" Olia hissed, shoving Keith to the ground before dropping down herself. Pain throbbed in her stomach, but it was much less than it had been a few days ago, so Olia was able to hold her breath against the pain. Her pendant pressed into her fur, a soothing sensation that further helped her stay calm.

A ship whizzed by, barely above the treetops. Olia kept herself pressed to the ground until the sound of the ship was gone.

"Did they see us?" Keith whispered.

"Doubt it, but we have to get moving." Olia glanced at Keith's armor. It was filthy, but the white would still be obvious in the forest. "Better ditch the armor for now."

Frowning, Keith pulled off his armor and stashed it under a bush. In his brown tunic and pants, he was more camouflaged, not that he was happy about leaving the armor.

"I feel exposed," Keith muttered as he tied his knife sheath around his waist.

"But much less visible," Olia pointed out. "We'll pick it up on our way back."

Olia stood and kept walking. She could hear Keith grumbling as he followed. The valley was only a mile away, but crossing the forest made the path much longer. Not to mention, they had to stop and hide every time a ship passed by.

"What are they looking for?" Keith asked, listening to yet another ship fly over at what Olia was guessing was halfway to the valley.

"Probably making sure they didn't miss anyone on the first trip," Olia said.

Keith snorted. "I don't know why they bother. If giant ships came and stole a bunch of people, I would be hiding if they returned."

"Not everyone thinks that way," Olia said lowly. "Sometimes, when part of a race is stolen, the ones who hid the first time will go to the Galra if they return."

"Why? That's crazy."

"Because they think that the Galra are coming back to return their friends. Or perhaps it was just a mistake, or some sort of treaty forming practice."

Olia could feel Keith's eyes on her when she fell silent. The Caneen had once been as ignorant as the Ckinook, and made mistakes she feared her race could never recover from.

"It's gone," Olia said, stepping from cover before Keith could decide to ask her any questions.

A voice hissed at them. "Olia! Blade!"

Olia looked up, and smiled in relief. The five missing Ckinook were situated in the branches above them, scared but unhurt.

"We were worried about you," Keith whispered as he climbed up to them. Olia stayed on the ground; climbing trees felt kind of unnatural to her.

"Nack saw the ships before we were spotted," said Ckackan, who had been leading the group. "We have been trying to get back to the nursery, but the ships won't stop coming."

"We might have to take cover someplace else," Olia said.

Ckackan chirred nervously. "The only safe place is back at the nursery. There are no more caves between Eckin Valley and there."

Olia narrowed her eyes. The more they moved around, the greater their chance of being spotted. But, if the Galra sent in ground troops, the group was too exposed.

"We need to take the risk and get back to the nursery," Keith said, voicing the decision Olia was admittedly leaning towards.

"Okay. We'll have to be quick," Olia said. "The Galra might be here only briefly, but you never can tell with them."

The Ckinook nodded and began scrambling their way through the trees. The had become better in the branches since being forced from their homes, but they were still rather clumsy. Keith dropped back to the ground and ran alongside Olia.

Whenever a ship passed by, Keith and Olia would duck under bushes and the Ckinook would freeze on the branches. If it hadn't been for their green feathers, they would have been spotted a long time ago. Olia was hoping the Galra didn't have any sophisticated way to search for life-forms, or else they would be found in a moment.

After half an hour of silent travel, Keith stopped. He looked around, then swerved off toward a bush. Olia opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, when Keith turned around. In his arms was his armor.

"We're nearly back," Keith whispered.

Olia's ears perked up. Could they really get to safety without the Galra finding them? Once they were to the nursery, they simply had to sit back and wait for the Galra to clear out.

She should've known to not be so optimistic.

The sound of a twig snapping from behind alerted Olia to whirl around. Automatically, she pulled out her energy pistol.

A robot sentry was standing behind them, gun pointed at Keith. Olia shot before the sentry could, and the robot collapsed in a heap.

"It was alone," Keith said, eyes scanning the trees.

"Yes, but not for long." Olia looked up at Ckinook. "You five head back to the nursery. Tell Ckalor I said to stay put, no matter what, for at least two movements. Even then, you'll have to be very careful."

"What about you?" Ckackan asked.

"The sentry only saw us two. If they see us leaving, they will assume we were alone, since we look nothing like the Chinook." Olia was speaking quickly, aware of their time before the Galra found them was fast diminishing. "Now, go. I hope we will return someday."

Ckackan nodded to her. He pointed ahead, then the Ckinook vanished into the branches. Satisfied, Olia turned to Keith.

"I'm gonna miss those guys," Keith said.

Olia sighed. "Yeah. Me, too. Come on, let's get out of here."

* * *

 **A/N: Forgive the cliché ending! I didn't realize how much complications adding a whole planet of characters could be! But, Keith and Olia have other planets to adventure on, so... moving on!**


	20. Losing Power

**A/N: Finally finished season five last night. It... was... epic! I'm loving Lance this season! That's all, I won't say any more for those of you who haven't seen it.**

* * *

When Olia and Keith reached the small clearing, they rushed to pull down the canopy hiding the Clunker. Olia hoped the Galra wouldn't suspect they had help in making the canopy, as there was only time to drop it to the ground.

Keith lowered the ramp and ran inside. Olia started to follow, then froze when she heard crashing footsteps coming rapidly closer.

Olia darted inside, where Keith was already firing up the ship. "Galra are coming! We have to go now!"

The Clunker roared to life. Olia raised the ramp, just as sentries poured into the clearing.

Olia ran to the co-pilot's seat, yelling, "Go, go!"

Keith grunted and pulled back on the controls. The Clunker rose, wobbled, then steadied and rose more quickly. He turned the ship toward the sky and sped off, leaving the sentries shooting at the empty sky.

Keith smirked. "We are- ugh!"

Keith and Olia were thrown to the side as there was an explosion from the back of the ship and the Clunker lurched abruptly.

Keith pulled himself upright, eyes scanning the console. "They must have hit one of the thrusters! We've lost power in one of them."

"That still leaves three," Olia said. She turned her chair toward another set of controls. "Just get us out of here, I'll give us some cover."

Olia grabbed the controls for the Clunker's guns. They were stiff and not the most accurate, but it was all the Clunker had by way of firepower. The glowing screen in front of her showed the nearby Galra ships rising to pursue.

"Only two. I think we'll be fine," Olia said as she aimed.

Keith groaned. "Please don't say that until we are actually safe!"

Olia fired at the enemy ships, but they dodged away from the shots. She readjusted, shot, and managed to hit one, but missed the second. It shot over the top of the Clunker.

"We need more speed!" Olia yelped as she struggled to reposition the guns.

"Not with three thrusters," Keith gritted out. "Hold on."

Olia braced herself as Keith threw the Clunker into a roll. Random objects crashed around the hold, and a couple of food bars hit Olia.

"Careful! We didn't have time to secure our supplies!"

"Just shoot!" Keith shot back.

"'Just shoot,'" Olia mocked back. "Easy for you to say."

"Olia!"

"Fine, fine."

Olia finally wretched the guns to face forward, just as the Galran ship gained enough distance to turn and fire at them as it sped closer.

Keith growled, then Olia's stomach lurched as the Clunker abruptly turned down. Keith dove below the Galra ship, the back up, turning to face it from behind.

"Fire now!"

Olia squeezed the trigger, and the Galra ship exploded. Olia cheered.

"Don't celebrate yet," Keith said. "I'd be willing to bet that those ships called in reinforcements. We need to get out of here before they arrive."

"On three thrusters? We won't get far," Olia said.

"We can't go back to the Chinook," Keith said. "Are there any other forested planets, or someplace with caves nearby?"

"I'm not sure. We're still in unchartered territory for me," Olia mused. She craned her neck to see the console in front of Keith. "How's the engines look? How far do you think we can go?"

"Plenty far. It depends on how overheated you want the Clunker," Keith said.

"Huh. Go farther on low power to get a safe distance from the Galra, possibly burning out the engine; or safely land nearby and most likely get found by the Galra. Not much of a choice."

"First option, then?"

Olia sighed. "We don't have any other options. Change course, and let's see how far this old girl can go."

"Yes, sir," Keith said.

Olia blinked. "Say what?"

"Uh…" Keith turned to Olia. "It kind of slipped out."

"I like the sound of that," Olia said. "You going to keep using it?"

Keith smirked. "Nope."

* * *

For several tense hours, Keith and Olia pushed the Clunker to its limits. As much as they disliked the strain on the engine, there wasn't any other choice.

Olia was the one flying when the Clunker gave an unhealthy-sounding screech. The ship lurched.

Keith groaned as he studied the console. "We've lost another thruster, and the engine's really hot now."

"There's a planet ahead," Olia said, pointing. "I guess that's as good of a place to put down as ever."

Olia cut her speed, barely drifting toward the planet. When she reached the atmosphere, she gave a little thrust as she searched for someplace to land.

It was hard to see much in the blue-tinted light of the planet's dim sun and random fog banks, but the ground appeared boggy, with the occasional drier hillock between sluggish streams. Thick clumps of short, blue-leaves trees grew scattered about.

Olia aimed for a large, mostly flat hill and landed the Clunker with a grating scrape. Once the ship stilled, Olia realized that it was sitting at an angle.

"Sounds like the landing gear might be damaged," Keith said.

"Great, just what we need," Olia said sarcastically. "Come on, let's go see what damage the Clunker has."

"How's the air look?" Keith asked.

"Mostly oxygen…" Olia cocked her head. "There's some sort of odd mixture I don't recognize, though. I hope the analyzing systems weren't damaged."

"Those are on the front of the ship, right?" Olia nodded to Keith's question. "They should be fine, then. Besides, didn't you say the systems on the Clunker aren't always reliable?"

"I like to have a _little_ faith in my ship," Olia shot back.

In the end, Olia and Keith donned breathing masks before stepping outside. Olia paused at the edge of the ramp as a wave of dizziness hit her, but shook it off and followed Keith to inspect the damage.

The back of the ship was a mess of black smears. One of the thrusters was twisted, but still in one piece, while another was slightly cracked. The landing prop closest to the damaged thruster was broken in half, the other piece floating who-knew-where in space.

"Not as bad as it could have been," Olia admitted. She studied the thrusters, doing her best to ignore the buzzing in her head that was rapidly growing in intensity."Once the engines cool, I'll make sure there isn't any major damage."

Keith fingered the twisted thruster. "This will take some work to straighten out. If only Hunk was here."

Olia's ears perked up, but she made herself only respond, "He's good with machines, I take it?"

"Yeah. He's the mechanic back… back…" Keith squinted, then turned to Olia with a frown. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing," Olia said with an inward sigh. "I'll go grab the tools, and we can start moving this into place while it's still warm."

As Olia entered the Clunker, the buzzing vanished. Suddenly off-balance, she stumbled and had to grab the wall to keep from falling over.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked, hurrying to her side.

"Yeah, I… just got a bit dizzy for a second," Olia said.

"Oh, no. Did you get hurt when the Galra hit the Clunker?" Keith stood on his tip-toes to check the top of her head.

Olia smiled and gently pushed him away. "I'm feeling better already, honest."

Keith pursed his lips, then scooped up their pack of tools. He headed outside, saying over his shoulder, "I'll take care of the Clunker."

"I'm not a helpless pup," Olia protested.

Keith paused to turn back to her. "Stay," he said, grinning as if at some private joke.

Olia snorted as she watched Keith walk out of view. Who was he to tell her that she couldn't help? She'd done more, while more tired, alone, than he could ever know!

Determined, Olia pushed away from the wall and marched down the ramp. She stiffened as the buzzing resumed, almost stronger than when it had stopped, but continued on.

Keith shook his head when he saw Olia. "Has anyone ever told you that you are downright stubborn?"

"It's a long list," Olia said, hoping Keith wouldn't see her grin was forced.

He did. "Olia, are you shaking?"

Olia clamped her paws behind her back. "No."

"Catch."

Keith tossed a rag at Olia. She reached out, but, unable to grip it in her shaking fingers, Olia only fumbled with the cloth before it drifted from her fingers to the ground.

"Exactly." Keith started to reach for her. "You should lay down."

"I said, I'm _fine_."

At the last word, Olia's whole body clenched. Her eyes blurred over and her mind was full of that buzzing. She tried to speak, but choked as a strange growl came out instead.

A second later, there was a shout and a dull pain throbbed through her body. The sensation passed and her vision cleared.

Olia was on her back, almost beneath the Clunker. Keith stood a few paces back, holding the arm of his armor and staring down at her with a nervous frown.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to throw you," Keith said after a moment of silence.

"Throw… me?" Olia asked. She sat up slowly, feeling dragged down by an exhaustion that had just presented itself.

"You don't remember?" Keith finally stepped closer. "You tried to claw my arm."

Olia's eyes widened. Her gaze went to Keith's arm as he removed his hand. In the dented white metal was three straight gashes. She put a paw to her mouth, just realizing that the paw was throbbing.

"I-I'm sorry," Olia stammered.

Keith crouched and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. You've been stressed and the Clunker being damaged at a time like this isn't helping anything. You just go rest and calm down. I'll take care of the ship."

Olia wasn't sure if just stress could cause her to lash out at Keith like that, but let Keith help her stand and guide her inside the Clunker. She was especially glad for his steadying arm when the buzzing started up momentarily, though it stopped again once she was inside.

"There's something bad here," Olia murmured, tiredness tugging at her eyelids. "We need to get out of here."

"We will," Keith said in a soothing tone as he helped her lay down. "I'll fix up the Clunker, and we can get away."

"Now, please," Olia pleaded, catching Keith's hand before he could turn away.

"We can't. The Clunker needs to be fixed first. I'll do it as quick as I can," Keith promised.

Keith gently pulled his hand away and hurried outside. Olia watched him leave, fighting to hold back a whine. Her tail twitched up, and she clenched it with a paw.

Gradually, exhaustion won over nerves. Olia's eyes slipped shut, and she fell into a restless sleep.


	21. Losing Control

**A/N: Does anyone else have Fanfiction just cut out on them all day?**

 **This chapter was weirdly enjoyable to type. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go make a timetable, because I'm losing track of how far these two have traveled from Bel-Rath, and how long Keith has been missing.**

 **I realized that I made Olia just a bit too young. She's 128 years old. (If you divide a Caneen's age by seven, that's the human equivalent of their age.)**

* * *

It was hard to judge the passing of time on the dim planet. As the sun approached the horizon on one end of the sky, a second sun like it appeared on the other horizon. As the light never dimmed or brightened -even with the addition of the second sun- Keith had decided that the planet was in a perpetual dusk-like setting.

As Keith put away the last of the tools -he had received a crash-course in fixing the Clunker during the long flight to Bel-Rath- he realized how tired he was. Straightening, he gave a long stretch that made his back pop, then he turned his gaze to their surroundings.

The only sign of life on the planet beyond the flora was small, flashing lights that weaved slowly through the air. Sometimes, one of the lights would drift over to their hillock, showing a firefly-like bug that was disturbingly the size of Keith's thumb.

What was Olia talking about? Okay, the bugs were creepily large, but they didn't pose any threat.

Nevertheless, when a deep moan echoed through the air, Keith jumped and whipped out his knife.

Something was moving in the distance. It was hard to make out through the fog, except it was big. Very big.

Nervously, Keith took a step toward the Clunker. Maybe Olia was right, and they needed to get away from there. But then, a stiff breeze cleared out the fog, and Keith was able to see the creature more clearly.

It was shaped like an elephant, mostly. It's giant ears trailed the ground as it strode slowly across the ground with its stumpy feet. Something curved covered its back, almost like a shell or maybe armor. Its long truck trailed the ground, occasionally picking something up to put to its mouth. While it was difficult to tell from the distance, Keith thought the creature would be twice the size of the Clunker.

Seeing that the creature was slow-moving and apparently uninterested in the crashed ship, Keith relaxed. He leaned against the Clunker to watch the creature's slow progress.

Seeming only seconds later, Keith's head jerked up from where it rested on his chest. He blinked and looked around, confused to find himself sitting against the Clunker. The big beast had disappeared.

Keith wobbily stood. His legs felt like jelly and his thoughts were sluggish. He felt like he had stayed awake for two days straight, a sensation that was oddly familiar.

Keith slowly made his way into the Clunker. He figured the stress of the chase and crash had caught up to him as well. Maybe more time had passed on the planet than he thought.

Plodding inside, Keith saw that Olia had fallen asleep. She shifted uneasily in her sleep, face scrunched against the dim blue light shining in the cockpit port.

Keith closed up the Clunker and turned on the life support, but decided to not disturb Olia by starting up the ship. He was feeling too drained to try and fly anyplace, anyway.

Instead, Keith dragged a pile of blankets and a mattress out of the closet. He fumbled around for a bit, before giving up. Too tired to even remove his oxygen mask, Keith simply collapsed onto his makeshift bed and was asleep in minutes.

* * *

A clunking sound woke Keith. He shifted, half-awake, then pushed himself up onto his elbows. There was a scrambling sound, then rapid footsteps, alerting Keith that someone was in the ship. Keith rolled onto his back and sat up, forcing his eyes open.

There wasn't anyone else in the ship, not even Olia. The ramp was open, and the light outside might have been slightly dimmer than before.

"Olia?" Keith said, standing. It had to have been her moving around and opening the Clunker, but where had she gone.

Keith walked outside and finally spotted Olia. She was at the water's edge at the base of the hill, pacing back and forth on all fours.

"Olia, the Clunker's fixed," Keith called. "We can leave now."

Olia glanced in his direction, but didn't respond. She paused to dip a paw into the water before resuming her pacing.

"Come on," Keith said with a groan. He started towards Olia. "You were so anxious to leave before, so why won't you come?"

When Keith was five feet away, Olia halted and whipped around to face him. There was such an angry expression on Olia's face that Keith instinctively froze. Olia's snout wrinkled up, showing her teeth. She gave a feral growl, fur fluffing up.

"Woah. Olia, are you okay?" Keith asked slowly.

Olia's head jerked around as she snapped her teeth together a couple times, like a dog trying to catch a fly. She shook her head, then turned back to the water. She lifted a paw, then placed it into the water. A moment later, she took another step, then another, and another, until she was walking steadily through belly-high water.

"Olia!" Keith ran after her, splashing water up on himself. "Come back here!"

Olia whipped around, growling. Keith scrambled to a halt, only to slip on something. His feet skidded out from under him, and Keith fell under the water. Water poured in through the mask's filters. Keith pushed himself onto his hands and knees, and suddenly found himself face to face with Olia.

Olia was still growling. Keith noticed a distant, harsh gleam in her eyes that he definitely didn't like. Then, without warning, Olia pounced.

Keith shouted as Olia's paws collided with his chest, knocking him backward. Briefly, his head ducked under again, then he was sitting up and spluttering. The next second, he had to dive to the side to avoid another attack. He scrambled to his feet, awkward under the weight of the water seeping into his armor.

Olia paced slowly around Keith, teeth still bared. Her ears were pinned flat back. She wasn't acting like Olia, but some wild beast!

"Olia, come back to the ship," Keith tried. "We'll get back up in the air, and you'll feel better."

Well, that or she would go even crazier in the confined space.

Olia didn't respond. Keith was forced to turn when she stepped behind him. As Keith's shadow fell across her face, Olia stiffened. Her growling took on a new tone, and Keith realized she was trying to speak!

"Go," Olia said in a garbled voice. "Get… out."

"I can't leave you here!" Keith protested.

A shudder ran through Olia's body. "Go!"

Keith refused to leave. He stepped closer, while the feral side of Olia caused her to shift away. Keith's shadow fell from her face, and that wild gleam appeared once again.

Keith glanced behind him at the blue sun. While the light hadn't been on her face, Olia was trying to act normal. He remembered how she had become unsteady when she went in and out of the light when they first arrived, and how she had calmed down from her first attack when Keith had thrown her into the Clunker's shadow.

"It's the sun!" Keith exclaimed.

Olia flinched at his loud voice, and in the next moment, Keith was forced to dance away from another attack.

He had to get her out of the sun.

Keith looked around, just noticing that the increasingly wild Olia was between him and the ship. As he took a step backward, Keith felt the water was getting deeper.

Thinking fast, Keith stepped further into the water. Olia started to follow, but stopped with a whine when the water started to rise above her belly.

Now Keith was the one to lunge. While Olia was distracted, he jumped forward, shoving her beneath the water. Using her back as a brace, Keith vaulted himself over her and started running as fast as he could in the knee-high water. From behind, there was the sound of splashing and a near-howl.

Keith reached the bottom of the hill as Olia's splashing settled into a rhythm of pursuit. Keith ran to the Clunker, and stopped to look back.

Olia was six feet away, but gaining fast. Her paws churned, her mouth gaped. And all the while, she gave that awful snarl.

Keith threw himself underneath the Clunker. As much easier as blockading Olia inside the Clunker could be, there was too much risk of her damaging the ship. So, Keith crawled in the shadows of the Clunker. He crouched in the middle to see if Olia was following, only to realize that she was staying outside, still in the sun.

Keith growled at Olia's stubborness. Was she going to wait him out? Did she even have a clue about what she was doing anymore?

"Get in here, you furball!" Keith seethed.

Olia cocked her head at Keith, but acted uninterested in crawling after him. Her ear twitched as she watched Keith for a moment, then she straightened and turned away.

"Olia!" Keith shouted.

Keith moved to follow, but accidentally jolted his head up to high. The back of his head collided painfully with the bottom of the Clunker. His arms jerked out from under him, and he landed in an awkward sprawl with his face in the spongy grass.

"Peh!"

Spitting out the mouthful, Keith scrambled back into the open. Olia was back at the water's edge, acting uninterested in Keith now that he wasn't trying to get her attention.

"Okay, new plan," Keith muttered.

Figuring that Olia would stay on the hill for now -she really wasn't liking the water- Keith headed inside the Clunker to come up with a better plan.

Keith surveyed the chaos of the hold, a result of his wild evasive maneuvers that hadn't been straightened out yet. Tools, bandages, and food were scattered across the floor.

Noticing a metal box under the table, Keith crouched to pull it out. He realized that it was Olia's box. He'd never seen the contents, but knew that Olia kept things important to her inside. The lid was askew now, probably damaged during the flight.

Keith put a hand on the lid. Was there something inside that could break through to Olia? Or would she just be mad at him after everything was sorted out for going through her personal things?

Keith shook his head. It was unlikely anything in the box would be of any help. It wasn't worth Olia's anger.

As Keith set the box aside, the lid slipped fully off. Keith froze, wide eyes on the contents of the box.

There actually wasn't much. A thick bundle of dark material filled most of the space. The glass pendent was nestled inside, along with a pair of broken handcuff-looking things and a glass statue of a Caneen with dark brown strands in the center.

Keith clapped the lid back on and shoved the box under the bed. He went back to his original task, trying unsuccessfully put the box's contents out of his mind. They had to hold sentimental value to Olia in some way. He could see that with the pendent and statue -probably gifts- but for a piece of rusty junk?

"Focus," Keith scolded himself. "Olia needs you to help her, not poke into her private life."

Keith's eyes fell on their food supplies. Or, more specifically, the containers of "kibble" that Olia was so fond of.

For a moment, Keith could only stare as a strange idea formed. Could he seriously lure Olia into the Clunker with food?

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Keith groaned, hauling himself to his feet. He grabbed a container and headed outside. "Hey, Olia!"

Olia wasn't there. Keith ran around the Clunker, scanning the hill, but found it to be empty of Caneen. Splashing caught Keith's attention to a distant form running through the shallow water.

"Olia!" Keith yelled.

Olia paused and looked back. Even from the distance, Keith could see her snarling at him. She moved to another patch of dry land and took on a ready stance.

"Food!" Keith called, holding the container above his head.

Olia only stared at him, then laid down.

Keith huffed. While she acted relaxed now, Keith suspected she would go back to her wild antics if he tried to go after her. If she wasn't going to react to the food, Keith supposed he could get her to chase him again. But then what? Until he could get Olia fully out of the sun, he doubted she would be able to control herself. And what happened even when she was shielded from the sun? Would she instantly go back to normal or -most likely- would it take a bit?

Keith headed back inside to rethink his plan. He needed some way to subdue Olia until she was back to normal.

There were ropes in the hold; maybe Keith could tie her up until then. Then again, how was he supposed to tie up someone acting like a wild animal?

Keith started pacing. He walked into the cockpit without thinking. His eyes scanned over the console distractedly, then he halted. Turning to the console, Keith leaned down, bracing a hand on either side of the screen that analyzed the environment.

Those readings… Keith hadn't paid attention to them before, but they had his full attention now. He read through the chemical makeup of the air half a dozen times, wondering why they were so familiar.

" _Too bad I failed chemistry."_ Keith blinked at the thought. " _Wait. I did?"_

If he had taken classes for chemistry and the readings struck him as familiar, that meant that he could -hopefully- use it to his advantage. Keith closed his eyes, straining for memories of his classes to rise.

A moment later, Keith fell backward into the seat and clutched his head. Trying to remember on his own _hurt_! But he could almost remember now, and he pushed himself for more.

* * *

" _What are you doing?!" The question was whispered fiercely in his ear._

 _He eyes the professor at the front of the room before whispering back a response. "Testing chemical reactions. That's what this class is about, right?"_

 _The kid at his side face-palms. "Not with that combination! Do you_ want _to knock out the entire class?"_

 _He grins at the two test tubes in front of him. "Would it really hurt to end class early today?"_

* * *

Keith's eyes jolted open. Of course! The combination of chemicals in the air formed a sort of sedative.

Keith thought back to his earlier drowsiness. Unless they had spent much longer on the planet than he realized, some of the gas must have been leaking in through the filters. Great, just another reason they had to get off that planet.

Unless… he could use it to his advantage. Keith knew that Caneen needed oxygen like him, so did that mean she would react in the same way that humans would to the gas?

Keith got up to start pacing again. If he knocked of her mask, maybe then the gas would cause her to pass out long enough for Keith to get them off the planet and the sun's effect on her to wear off.

Deciding that using between tempting Olia with food and using the gas in the air was as good as his plan could get, Keith cleared out the hold. If Olia was still a little wild when he got her inside, he didn't want her damaging anything. As extra precaution, Keith set up the auto-pilot for a spot in space not too far away, but far enough from the sun's influence.

You know… as long as his theories proved correct.

"This is crazy," Keith said to himself as he headed outside.

Keith was relieved to find Olia still laying in the same place. As Keith took the first steps into the water, the splashing alerted Olia into lifting her head.

Keith held out Plan A. He took off the lid and rattled the food, hoping that would be enough to tempt Olia. Instead, she merely put her head on her paws.

Keith huffed and headed closer, purposefully splashing as much as possible. As he had hoped, Olia stood and started to growl. But she didn't move from her spot, and Keith knew he was going to need some sort of head-start for the half-mile chase back to the Clunker.

"Come and get me!" Keith yelled when he was ten feet from Olia's patch of dry land.

When this still got no response beyond a growl, Keith plucked out a piece of kibble and chucked it at Olia's face.

Olia blinked, startled from her growling by the small projectile. She stared at the kibble resting between her paws. She went to start growling again, only for Keith to throw another piece. She scowled at Keith as a third piece bounced off her forehead. Finally, a dozen pieces later, Olia couldn't stand it any longer.

Letting out a sound eerily between a howl and a yell, Olia leaped with paws outstretched. Keith stumbled backwards before steadying himself and turning to run.

Luckily, Olia was even slower than Keith in the water, despite being on four paws. Keith reached dry land and spun around for the most delicate part of his plan.

When Olia was nearly upon him, she leaped, as he hoped she would. Keith dove to the side. He rolled up to his feet just as fast, a split second after Olia landed and realized that Keith had moved. Before she could respond, Keith reached out to snag the band on her breathing mask. He gave it a quick jerk, and the mask came off in his hand.

Olia shook her head, startled for a moment. Taking advantage of Olia's distraction, Keith ran up to the Clunker and tossed the mask and container inside. Olia growled again as she recovered. Keith didn't waste a second, and dodged behind the Clunker. Now, all he had to do was keep away from Olia until the gas overwhelmed her. Easy, right?

Ten minutes later, Keith was realizing that his plan wasn't really as good it had first seemed. Olia was sort of woozy, but still too wild to lead inside or tie up. Keith was exhausted from running back and forth, but Olia wasn't giving up this time.

* * *

Keith wondered if throwing food at her face was really insulting to a Caneen.

Keith slid under the Clunker, hoping for a respite. But Olia scrambled under along with him. For a minute, Keith dodged around in the shadows, hoping that the Olia would start to regain some sense. But the wildness had a firm grip on Olia. She wasn't showing any signs of her normal self.

Keith rolled out from under the Clunker and leaped to his feet. He ran to the side as Olia emerged as well, then paused.

Olia was unsteady on her paws now. She wobbled back and forth, growling at the space to Keith's left rather than him.

" _It's working!"_

The thrill of success made Keith hasty. He rushed forward to start leading Olia inside before she collapsed. As he approached, Olia's eyes widened. Before Keith could realize his mistake, Olia lashed out with a paw.

Olia's claws barely missed Keith's face, catching on the breathing mask instead. Keith gasped and tried to pull away, only for Olia to give a hard tug. Keith fell to his knees with Olia's paw still clamped on the edge of the mask. He held his breath as Olia struggled to free her paw. Finally, the strap on the mask broke and the pair fell away from each other. There was an awful crack as Olia's paw pressed down on the mask.

" _No!"_

Keith scrambled to get to his feet; if he could get inside, Olia's mask was there. Olia, mistaking his action to be another attack, jolted forward. Her head collided with his stomach, making him double over as his breath was forced away.

Keith and Olia collapsed to the ground. Keith's mouth instinctively opened to suck in breath. He clamped it shut, but too late. He'd already breathed the gas.

Keith stood quickly. If Olia had been any indication, he should have at least ten minutes before he succumbed to the gas. Except his legs were already starting to waver. Even though it was too late, Keith held his breath to try and hold off the affects.

Olia was slowly standing, eyes glazed over. She gave no fight as Keith grabbed the collar of her flight suit and forced her to walk forward. She stumbled up the ramp under Keith's guidance, then fell to the floor.

Keith let her be and scooped up her mask to hold to his face. He didn't even bother strapping into place. Using one hand, Keith raised the ramp and turned on the life support system.

Keith wavered as he turned. He fell against the wall. His legs threatened to give out any second. His vision was darkening, and he couldn't quite focus.

After a second, Keith forced himself away from the wall. He had to get the auto-pilot turned on first! If Olia recovered from the gas before him and was still under the sun's influence, it would be a disaster.

Keith didn't remember making the short walk to the pilot's seat, jolting back to reality only when he fell hard into the seat.

Focusing his dimming thoughts, Keith lifted a shaking hand and pressed the buttons for the launching. He turned on the auto-pilot, and felt the Clunker screech to life.

Keith finally let himself slump back into the chair. The hand holding the mask fell loose, dropping the mask to the floor with a clatter. His eyes closed, and the sound of the Clunker's engine faded away.

* * *

 **A/N: ...I like to call Olia's food kibble, okay? I don't know why!**

 **Originally, it was going to be Shiro talking to Keith in his flashback, but it didn't make sense to have him in Keith's class. So, it's just a random kid.**

 **So... the next chapter just kind of... happened. It's random, loopy, and completely unexpected. (Since Keith was so quickly affected by the gas, it makes sense that he would have a harder time recovering, right?) Since that is so, and there isn't any major import of the next chapter -excepting one big thing- I will be posting it on Wednesday this week.**

 **-Distant screaming as author falls further behind-**


	22. Keith Tries to Explain

Olia slowly became aware of laying on a flat, hard surface. It thrummed softly under her, with the occasional familiar rattle. She was on the floor of the Clunker.

After giving herself a moment, Olia opened her eyes. She was staring under the bed, where her box was sitting crookedly in the corner. Olia blinked a couple times, then rolled onto her side to look around more.

It took Olia a moment to remember why supplies were scattered around on the floor, and another few minutes to remember that they had landed to fix damage to the Clunker. But why hadn't they cleaned up? And when had the Clunker been fixed? Try as she might, Olia couldn't remember anything beyond Keith helping her to bed.

So, Keith had fixed the Clunker and flew them away from the planet without waking her? But why was she on the floor?

"Blade, why didn't you wake me?" Olia asked as she worked herself into a seated position.

Olia didn't get a response, then noticed the armor-clad arm hanging over the arm of the pilot's seat. A breathing mask rolled around on the floor below it.

"B-Blade?" Olia tried again.

Keith was a very light sleeper, Olia knew that. He would usually snap awake at the slightest sound, making it difficult for him to get any rest when Olia was taking a turn at flying. The fact that he wasn't responding now was worrying.

Olia stood, pushing aside the remaining dizziness. She knew she had tried to attack him before going to bed, and was terrified the incident had been repeated. She reached the cockpit and cautiously peeked at her companion. She let out a sigh of relief.

Keith was breathing and unhurt, but had to be unconscious. He was slumped a bit awkwardly in the seat, leaning on the elbow of the arm draped across the arm with his head tilted down on his shoulder.

"Blade, wake up," Olia whispered. She shook his shoulder, but he didn't rouse. She tried again, louder. "Blade!"

Keith remained unconscious. Worried that he really had been injured, Olia dug through the medical supplies until she found the scanner.

"He's not hurt," Olia said in confusion after scanning Keith.

Olia checked the GPS, and saw that they were drifting not far from the blue-sunned planet. The auto-pilot button was blinking, meaning Keith had set the coordinates where they were currently drifting.

Since Keith wasn't injured in any way Olia could tell, she left him be and sat in the co-pilot seat. She switched the controls over and started flying away from the planet. Something was wrong with that place, and the thought of staying nearby for too long made her fur stand on end.

Olia glanced at Keith. Had he been affected by the planet as well? Maybe he had realized what had happened with Olia -she hoped he had, because she wasn't sure herself- was happening to him and had set the Clunker on auto-pilot before anything happened.

Although… Olia turned back to the hold. The supplies had been shoved to the sides. There was an open container in the middle of the hold, with kibble scattered around it.

"What the ruggle did you do?" Olia asked the unconscious Keith. "You have some major explaining to do when you wake up."

As if in response, Keith huffed in his sleep and shifted. His elbow slipped off of the chair arm, causing him to tip sideways.

Olia shook her head. "I don't know why I insist on talking when my only companion is unconscious."

Keith grunted and shifted, making Olia smile.

* * *

It was nearly an hour before Keith showed any real signs of life. He gave a drawn-out moan as he straightened in the seat. His hands came slowly up to rub at his eyes.

"Look who's finally up!" Olia said cheerfully, turning in her seat.

Keith's eyes opened. He gazed at her with an unfocused eyes, before he flinched away from her. His eyes cleared and flicked up and down, watching Olia.

"What?" Olia asked uncomfortably.

Keith mumbled something, then frowned. He tried again, but his mouth didn't seem to want to cooperate. He huffed and gave a small shrug.

"What did you do?" Olia asked.

Keith's eyes widened, and he slurred out, "Me?!"

"Okay, what happened?"

"You…" Keith jabbed a finger in Olia's direction to further his point, but this only made him slide sideways. Still, he went on, "Went… crazy."

"Me?" Olia asked.

Keith gave a slow, exaggerated nod. Whatever had knocked him unconscious must have still been affecting his system, because his eyes were comically wide.

"You ran… away!" Keith proclaimed.

"You don't say?" Olia said, not really taking the loopy boy seriously. "What else did I do?"

"You… you ignored me," Keith said. His voice was getting clearer, but his state of mind obviously wasn't. "I threw… food in… your face!" His voice dropped into a whine. "Then you… chased me back… here."

Keith stabbed his finger at the ground, the force drawing him into sitting up straight once again. He wavered for a moment, gaze losing focus briefly before snapping back to Olia with startling intensity.

"Let's not go back to that planet, please?" Keith said clearly.

"Uh, okay. I didn't plan on returning there anyway," Olia said.

"Good. Bad place…" Keith trailed off, mumbling to himself about big bugs and something he was calling a "turtlphant."

"Are you okay?" Olia asked when Keith continued to ramble.

Keith's shoulders lifted in a shrug… and stayed there like he forgot what he was doing. "I dunno. Failed chemistry."

Olia chuckled. Keith's eyes were rapidly losing focus. His shoulders flopped back down, causing his arm to dangle down once again. He was keeping himself upright, at least.

"Maybe you should lay down," Olia suggested.

Keith nodded. Though, based on his state of mind, Olia couldn't be sure if he was actually agreeing with her.

Olia stood and helped Keith do the same. Despite his protests that he could walk fine on his own, Olia had to half-carry Keith to the bed. She helped Keith drag himself into bed, then threw a blanket over him. She started to turn away, when there was a gasp from Keith.

Keith stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Olia's wrist, and tugged her closer.

"Olkarion," Keith said. He sounded like his old self, but his eyes were dragging shut. "They're on… Olkarion."

"I don't…" Olia said, trailing off when she realized Keith had fallen back to sleep.

Confused, Olia silently went back to the co-pilot's seat. Was Olkarion a planet? Most likely, if "they" were on it. Maybe it was a slave camp, or a base where Keith's companions were at. Either way, Olkarion was important to him.

Since there wasn't anything Olia could learn at that moment, she focused on flying. She would ask Keith when he woke up again.

* * *

Three hours later, rustling alerted Olia into turning around.

Keith was sitting up in bed, looking slightly dazed. But, he stood up with little problem and joined Olia in the cockpit.

"How's your head?" Olia asked, earning a frown.

"My head? Why?"

"You were a little loopy there for a bit," Olia said, then told Keith about his exaggerated movements and mumblings.

Keith stared at Olia. "I didn't do that."

"Yes, you did," Olia said with a smirk.

"I deny any and all of your claims. You're the one who lost your mind," Keith said. "You were acting like an animal. If the air hadn't contained a mixture of gases to form a sedative, we would probably still be back there. Wait, how long has it been?"

"About four vargas since I woke up," Olia said.

Keith's eyes widened. "Wow, that stuff really knocked me out. Why'd you wake up so much faster, though? You were breathing it for at least ten doboshes."

Olia shrugged. "Different reactions to the gas, I guess."

"True. It took less than a dobosh to take me down," Keith admitted.

"So, gas and general craziness aside," Olia said, changing the subject. "Right before you passed out again, you told me they were on Olkarion."

"They?"

"I don't know, either. I'm assuming friends of yours, and that Olkarion is a planet."

"Olkarion, hm." Keith squinted thoughtfully. "It doesn't ring a bell."

"What does bells have to do with this?" Olia asked.

"I mean, I don't remember the name," Keith said dismissively. "So, it's not familiar to you, either?"

"Never heard it. But, it is our first real clue. If the radio was working, I could call around to see if anyone else has heard of Olkarion," Olia said.

"Are there any rebel bases around here?" Keith asked.

"Hm, yes. Sandibar," Olia said hesitantly. "Not really a base; more of a supply storage and rest stop. Someone's usually around it, though."

"And it's near here?"

"Yes." Olia frowned at the controls, but Keith didn't notice. After a second, she lightened her expression and turned to Keith. "I'm not too familiar with the planet, but I do know the general area of the outpost. Do you want to try it?"

"Of course!" Keith said brightly. His face then creased a bit. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Olia asked, not quite meeting Keith's eyes. "I'm fine."

Keith accepted Olia's claim with a shrug. He faced forward again, probably too excited to worry too much about Olia's hesitance.

Olia's stomach felt tight and uneasy, but it wasn't from excitement. It wasn't so much the planet that concerned Olia, it was the memories that always rose along with it.

Olia shook her head. Olkarion was the first hint that could lead the pair in the direction of Keith's friends. She wasn't going to let a little thing like bad memories stop her.

"I'm fine," Olia whispered, her voice hidden in the Clunker's rumblings.

* * *

 **A/N: I enjoy writing loopy Keith, like... too much. This is twice now, and I have a separate fic that will eventually be written that forces the other paladins to deal with loopy Keith.**

 **I'm so excited about the next few chapters, and I haven't a clue why! Probably because most of what follows this chapter, I actually had sorted out from the start, unlike most of this story that just happened as they happened.**

 **Speaking of, once this whole thing is done, and my writing schedule calms down, I will be going back through Distant Memories for re-editing and hopefully make chapters smoother and/or longer. If you have any suggestions or things I need to fix, please PM me.**

 **Oh, and, over 6,000 reads! -author cheering- You guys are awesome!**


	23. Swift of Paw

**A/N: So... long! Originally, the events of the next couple chapters was going to take place on two different planets, but solid plotting needed it to happen at once. And, to keep the story moving, the next few chapters are quite long. Which I like, if it didn't take so long to type!**

 **Since the end of Distant Memories is in sight (like, two-ish months, but I finally have the direct line of events to get there) I am going to start thinking of my next major-length story. I set up a poll on my profile with my top three ideas. It will be a bit before that story will be started, since I have ficlets to get caught up on, but I would like to see which idea is most popular so I can focus thinking on that plot line.**

* * *

Several hours later, Olia piloted the Clunker into the atmosphere of a sandy brown planet. From a distance, there was no signs of life on the desolate planet, though that quickly changed when the got closer to the ground.

What had first appeared to be sand dunes were, in fact, copses of trees covered in sand. Vast flat spaces could be disturbed to reveal lakes hidden beneath the sand. Small valleys opened into large stone caverns with only a dusting of sand inside.

Keith stared all around while Olia flew the Clunker into one of the hidden caves.

"What's with all the sand?" Keith asked.

"Why do you think the rebels named it Sandibar?" Olia answered, knowing Keith's question had been rhetorical. "Matt says it sounds like a 'tropical island.'"

"That it does," Keith said, nodding slowly.

Olia rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. Come on. The air's fine, but you'll need a scarf in case the wind picks up."

While Keith dug through their supplies for a scarf, Olia pulled out her box. She frowned, having forgotten that the lid had been broken off.

"I think that happened when I barrel rolled," Keith said, noticing where Olia's attention was. "Sorry."

Olia slid off the lid. "Everything's intact. It's fine."

Before Keith could try to say anything else, Olia pulled out the dark scarf cushioning her treasures and wrapped it around her neck. She walked past Keith and outside.

* * *

"Olia!"

Olia paused at Keith's cry. She turned back, and saw him struggling through the ankle-deep sand. She glanced down at her wide, furry paws that kept her from sinking.

Keith dragged himself up to Olia, puffing from walking through the sand. "Slow down a bit, would you? How far away are we headed?"

Olia shrugged as she turned to scan the landscape. After taking a tunnel out of the cave into a sand plain, Olia had picked the direction she was pretty sure was correct and just started walking. Somewhere to the left, Olia could detect the slight rolling of an under-sand lake. To the right was a sand-covered forest. Ahead, was flat plain.

"It's this way, I'm pretty sure," Olia said.

"Pretty sure?" Keith said skeptically.

"Yes." Olia hunched her shoulders, doing her best to ignore the memories ringing in her ears. "It's…"

* * *

" _The sand's changed everything, Dad!" Olia wailed. "How will we find the den now?"_

" _Olia, you know there's more to pathfinding than sight."_

" _Yeah." The younger Caneen at Olia's side poked her. "Ears and nose, remember."_

 _Olia rolled her eyes as she looked at her brother. He would have been shorter than her, if his fur wasn't so puffy. While he was still only in his thirties, he was already gaining the broadened shoulders and muscled arms of the males._

" _I know, Anaka," Olia said in fake exasperation. "Dad, which way?"_

 _The tall, light-furred Caneen in front of Olia paused and turned. Olia recognized the mischievous glint in his brown eyes. It was the same Anaka always got before tricking Olia into doing something._

" _I think you should be the one to lead us back to the den," her father said._

" _What?!"_

 _Anaka nudged her. "Don't be such a pup, Olia."_

 _Olia swatted her brother with her tail. "You're the pup."_

" _Now, now, you two," their father cut in before an argument could start. "Olia, leave your brother be and focus. You've seen the elders navigate, right? And me?"_

" _Yeah…"_

" _You have that ability, too, Olia. All Caneen do."_

 _Olia frowned at her father, who stared back levelly. Finally, she sighed._

" _Fine. I'll try. But you won't let us go the wrong way, right?"_

" _I don't have to worry about that," her father said confidentally. "You'll pick the right path."_

 _Olia huffed, though she was secretly happy for her father's confidence. She closed her eyes -they were useless at that point- and strained her other senses._

 _For several minutes, she stood stock-still. She heard Anaka start to shift restlessly, but her father was patiently still._

 _Just when Olia was ready to give up, a familiar scent drifted past her nose. Her mother and aunt! They must have passed that way before the storm that had stranded Olia with her brother and father. She turned in the direction of the scent, and her ears picked up the distant sound of sliding sand. Her tribe, uncovering the den entrance._

 _Triumphant, Olia opened her eyes and point to the right. "It's…"_

* * *

"That way," Olia said, pointing toward the sandy forest.

"Okay, now you're just picking random directions," Keith said, crossing his arms.

"No, I'm not," Olia said with a huff. "I know it's that way."

"Fine, whatever you say." Keith was quiet for a moment, then he suddenly darted past Olia. "Race you to the trees!"

Olia stared after Keith, amused. He was still sinking into the sand, forcing him to flail his arms for balance. He threw up sand with every step, covering himself liberally.

"You're kidding, right?" Olia asked.

Keith tried to pick up his pace, but only succeeded in almost falling over. Twice.

Olia caved. She dropped to all fours and sprinted across the sand. She caught up to Keith easily and slowed to stay at his side.

"I think that gas is still messing with your brain," Olia informed Keith.

Keith turned his head to retort, only to lose his balance. Keith's feet tripped out from under him, causing him to face-plant with a yell. Olia ground to a stop and trotted back as Keith lifted his head.

Olia couldn't help it; she burst into laughter.

Keith's hair was full of sand. From the grimace on his face, so was his mouth. When he stood, sand poured from his armor and scarf that had scooped up sand when he fell. Nevertheless, once he had gained his feet, Keith gave a sandy grin.

"That's what I was looking for!" Keith exclaimed.

Olia chuckled at Keith's pleased expression, then asked, "What?"

"Your smile. You've been tense since we got here," Keith explained.

Olia's laughter died off, but her smile remained. So, he had noticed. She had hoped to hide her distress, but Keith understood her too well.

"Sandibar reminds me of Cana," Olia said simply with a wince. Even saying her home planet's name was painful.

"Oh… I'm sorry. We didn't have to come," Keith said.

"No, no, it's fine," Olia quickly reassured him. "I just don't come here very often, and was hit by some homesickness. Thanks for distracting me."

"No problem. We'll be quick, and can go soon," Keith said.

Olia stood upright. "We should be nearby, anyway."

Olia and Keith were standing not far from the edge of the forest now. As they entered, the deep sand lessened until the pair was walking on short, tough grass.

Everything growing on the sandy planet was hardy and rough, Olia knew. The bark on the trees were gnarled and knotted, with no branches for a good ten feet. There weren't leaves on the branches, but short, sharp needles. The trees were almost too hard to cut down, as well. No small brush grew in the shadows, unable to grow long enough roots to reach sufficient moisture.

Keith paused for a moment to press a gloved hand against the cracked bark of a tree. He frowned up at the branches, studying the harsh needles that resembled the dying stems of leaves.

"Are these trees alive?" Keith asked.

"Yes."

"Even the ones on the forest edges, that are covered in sand?"

"Yep. See, sometimes there are wind storms with rain. The sand blowing around sticks to the trees and hardens when the sun comes out. This can happen again and again, and the thick coat of sand preserves the trees. Eventually, there will be a hard rain storm without the wind, and that washes the trees clean." Olia waved a paw at the trees they were walking under. "The trees in the center of the forest don't have this happen, and grow at a faster rate. So, the middle trees of the forest grow taller than the outsides."

"That's cool," Keith said.

"Not so much when you're caught out during a storm," Olia said. "If you can't find proper shelter, you have to keep moving or risk getting a coat of hardened sand."

"So, the base we are looking for would be near the center of the forest?" Keith guessed.

"Correct. The taller trees give the rebels an excellent vantage point of the surrounding area."

Keith looked around at the trees. He kept his head tipped back, only checking on occasion to ensure that he wasn't going to trip over a root or branch. Sometimes, he would change direction, tugging Olia along with him.

"What are you doing?" Olia eventually asked.

"It makes sense that if we head in the direction with the tallest trees, we'll find the base, right? And the sooner we get our information, the sooner we can get away," Keith said.

Olia smiled without responding, touched. The two had known each other for such a short time, yet Keith was already thinking so much about how she felt. It was so much like Anaka-

Olia's smile dropped, and she could feel her breath speeding up. "Let's go faster."

Keith turned to her, head cocked in confusion. Something must have really been showing on Olia's face, though, because he simply nodded and sped up into a trot.

Olia trotted at Keith's side, but soon dropped to all fours and started going faster and faster. First a trot, then a canter. Faster and faster, until she was full-out running. Keith was yelling at her to slow, but she couldn't stop.

Olia dodged around trees, expertly avoiding every root, every fallen branch in her path. Her mind raced to keep up with her paws, but she couldn't outrun her painful thoughts.

She thought she could do it. She really thought she could. But the sand sifting through her fur, the dappling of sun leaving needle-straight shadows, they were too familiar.

She could almost hear the four-pawed patter at her side. The excited laughter in her ears. A flash of fur at her side. That scent she so loved…

No, it was wrong. The scent was all wrong!

Olia's eyes widened as she crashed back to reality. Hooking her paws over a root, Olia jerked to a stop. Her head flashed up, nose working wildly.

Crashing footsteps and huffing from behind alerted Olia that Keith had caught up. She flashed him a warning scowl, lifting a paw in a shushing gesture.

'What?' Keith mouthed.

Olia shook her head. She closed her eyes and lifted her head for another sniff, desperately hoping that the scent in the air was only in her head.

It wasn't. The jarring combination of smoke, anger, and pain meant one thing.

"The Galra were here," Olia said, choking on her words.

Distantly aware of Keith's gasp, Olia clenched her eyes shut. This was wrong, wrong! Panic rose in her chest, cutting off her breathing.

"Olia!"

Hands shook her shoulders, jolting her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see Keith watching her with concern and fear.

"We need to see if the Galra are still here. If not, if there are any survivors," Keith said.

"The Galra leave no one," Olia said, voice cold, mind numb.

"Get a grip!" Keith seethed at her. "There could be rebels hidden and injured."

Olia blinked, startled back to herself by Keith's anger. His eyes had grown distant, like when he was searching those non-existent memories.

Maybe Olia wasn't the only one suffering painful reminders.

"Okay," Olia agreed. "No rebel would go peacefully. Someone could still be here."

Keith nodded. For a moment, he and Olia simply stared at each other, pain in both of their gazes. Keith was the first to break eye contact, turning his head in the direction they had been heading.

Olia stood upright, and led the way. Following her nose, Olia found a hatch that looked to have been ripped from its hinges and tossed away. A bit more searching for a hole with a ladder leading down. It was impossible to tell how far the hole was supposed to go, as it was completely collapsed ten feet down.

Unable to accept that no one could have escaped, Olia stepped away from the hole and smelled again. There were rebel scents, recent ones, above ground. Most were impossible to make out over the scent of Galra sentries and the bitter tang of smoke from the hole.

The forest around the hole held no signs of a fight, only trampled grass. A bit further into the trees, however, Keith gave a cry. Dashing over, Olia found him crouched beside a fallen sentry.

Keith picked up the sentry's arm, eyeing the wires poking out of where it had once attached to the body. "What is this?"

"A Galra sentry," Olia said, remembering that Keith hadn't gotten a good look at a sentry during their time traveling. "The Galra have a lot of robots for taking over planets."

Keith frowned as he dropped the arm. "The rebels put up a fight. Could they still be nearby?"

Olia was about to reply, when she saw a flash of light from off to the side. Instinctively, she jerked away. A split-second later, a laser blast hit the tree behind where her head had just been.

"What?!" Keith exclaimed.

Olia expected him to run or panic and freeze, but instead, he turned in the direction the shot had come from. He shouted and dodged away from another shot.

"Blade, get out of the way!" Olia yelled, grabbing for her pistol.

Keith didn't move away though. He whipped out his knife and flung it with all his might, leaping away from another blast at the same time.

There was a crackle and a crash, then no more shots. Keith ran in the direction of the attack. Olia followed, unsure whether or not that was such a good idea.

Keith and Olia soon found a sentry flat on the ground, sparking where Keith's knife protruded from its face.

While Keith retrieved his knife, Olia mentally figured the distance. At least twenty feet, in a forest, while avoiding laser blasts?

"Where did you learn to do that?" Olia asked.

Keith shrugged as he stood. After checking to make sure the blade wasn't damaged, he returned it to his sheath.

"I'm not sure. It just felt right," Keith said.

"Hm, throwing your only weapon at the enemy? Sounds like poor planning to me," Olia said.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"In the future, why don't you leave long-distance to me, okay?"

"Sure, whatever you-" Keith broke off, eyes widening. "Um, Olia? That sentry wasn't alone."

Olia whirled around. Three more sentries were marching through the trees. At first, they didn't seem to have noticed Olia and Keith, then one of them turned. A moment later, the other two followed suit.

"Move!" Olia yelled as the sentries prepared to fire.

Olia ducked out of the way behind a tree, then watched as Keith ran further into the forest. What was he doing?

With no time to worry about Keith, Olia pulled out her pistol. Spinning out from the protection of the tree, Olia leveled her gun and fired. A sentry dropped, and Olia aimed for another, but missed. The second sentry turned its gun toward her, forcing her to dive out of the way. Olia rolled and came up on one knee to shoot again.

A dark blade came flying in from the side, stabbing into the sentry's hip. The sentry staggered and reached for the knife, only for Keith to burst out of the trees. He rammed the sentry from the side, knocking it over.

That still left one sentry, though. Keith rushed the final one, necessity not giving him the time to grab his knife back.

Olia started running. What was he going to do? Take down a robot with his bare hands?

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Keith crashed into the sentry. Both fell to the ground and didn't move.

"Blade!"

Olia picked up the pace, but relaxed when she saw Keith shift and stand up. She arrived at his side as he turned, revealing a long red and white sword in his hands.

"Wha- Where did you get that?" Olia asked.

"I… I don't know," Keith said, studying the blade. "I was just thinking that I wished I had a sword, then this little handle thing appeared in my hands and turned into a sword."

"You are full of surprises," Olia said with a stressed sigh.

"I keep surprising myself. It's not like I can help it," Keith said as he head to grab his knife.

"Let's get out of here before-" Olia pricked her ears up "-reinforcements arrive."

"How many?" Keith asked.

"Too many," Olia whispered. "Come on." Olia turned in the direction of where they had left the Clunker, but Keith stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"What about the rebels?"

"They rarely stayed here for long. If they even were here…" Olia shook her head. "There's nothing more we can do now."

Keith frowned, but followed when Olia trotted away. After a couple yards, though, she froze.

"This place is crawling with Galra," Olia whispered. "We may have to take a longer route."

"Maybe we'll come across some of the resistance along the way."

Olia didn't respond to Keith's optimism. Even if some of the rebels had escaped, they would be hiding too well to just stumble upon them.

Their progress was painfully slow. There were so many patrols through the trees that Olia and Keith had to stop and hide every couple minutes. Olia knew that Keith's armor could easily give them away, but she couldn't have him leave it behind. There would be no returning for it, and would leave him vulnerable.

Almost an hour later, Olia realized they were in trouble. A patrol was coming up from behind, and two patrols were coming from different directions ahead. And Olia and Keith were caught in the middle.

Olia pulled Keith behind a tree, wishing desperately that Sandibar had more brush for hiding. She pushed Keith against the bark and shielded as much as his armor as she could with her body. Trusting Olia's instincts, Keith hadn't put up any protest as they traveled. He simply stayed silent and took his cues from Olia.

Olia gazed into Keith's purple eyes. Something was telling her that their precious stealth was soon going to be lost. In moments, they would be in view of at least one of the patrols.

Keith must have seen this in Olia's eyes. He unsheathed his knife. His sword, which had shrunk to the little handle thing, glowed.

"We'll just have to fight our way," Keith said simply.

Olia couldn't even work up a protest. She stepped away, allowing Keith room for his sword to form. The steps of the nearest patrol paused.

"Run," Olia said.

Olia and Keith bolted in the direction that would take them straight back to the Clunker. It was straight at one of the patrols, but there was no other choice.

More footsteps paused as the sentries realized that there was someone in the woods. Moments later, all three patrols were headed in their direction.

Olia and Keith ran into view of the first patrol. Keith hurled his knife again, impaling the first in line, then Olia shot down the one behind it. Without slowing, Keith grabbed his knife as he ran past the first sentry, then threw himself at the next pair. His sword flashed as he leaped and spun, slicing them both in half. As he landed in a roll, Olia shot the final sentry.

The pair paused for only a moment, staring at each other. Keith's eyes held wild determination. Olia's breath heaved. Adrenaline coursed through her limbs, blocking her earlier panicking thoughts. Then, they were running again.

Olia could hear the patrols coming after them. By now, every Galra and sentry on the planet would know they were there. With every passing minute, their chances of getting caught increased.

They were nearing the forest edge when Keith grunted and ground to a stop, jerking Olia along with him behind a tree. Without speaking, Keith pointed ahead.

A couple dozen sentries stood unmoving at the edge of the trees. They hadn't spotted Olia and Keith, but would as soon as they tried to get past. The patrols from behind were getting closer, one from directly behind, and one to the left. The only clear path was to the right, but could Olia and Keith get into the clear before they were seen?

To make it even worse, Olia spotted a split in the ground outside the forest. It was ten feet across in most places, maybe six in a few others. It curved toward the forest, then ran along the edge of the trees out of sight. Olia remembered seeing the crevasse in the distance when they were first walking, so the Clunker would be almost straight ahead from their current position.

Olia tapped Keith's shoulder and pointed to the right. He nodded, and both started making their way as quietly as they could manage.

Olia glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the approaching patrols. Even if they made it past the larger patrol, there was still several miles of flat sand to cross to get to the Clunker. She could probably outrun the sentries -who were doubtlessly equipped for the sandy terrain- but Keith wouldn't be able to.

"Blade," Olia said under her breath. When he paused, she went on, "I think we need to split up. I'll distract them, you get to the Clunker."

Keith turned, already shaking his head. He looked at the patrol beside the crevasse, and his eyes narrowed.

"I have a better idea. Do the sentries have jetpacks?" Keith asked.

"No, why?"

Keith smirked. "Stay quiet and wait for me at the Clunker."

"Wait-"

Keith was up and running before Olia could stop him. She bit back her words to wait. Keith had some sort of plan, and if she joined in, it could only make the situation worse.

So, she waited silently.

As Keith ran, he formed his sword and shield. The noise and light caught the sentries' attention, and they turned their guns toward him. At the last second, yards away from the sentries, Keith leaped into the air. Light flared up on the back of his armor, and he shot ten feet into the air.

" _His jetpack!"_ Olia thought, having been told about the jetback back on the Ckinook's planet.

Olia understood Keith's plan now. At least, she thought she did. Once Keith was close enough to the crevasse, he could fly across it and the sentries wouldn't be able to follow. Then, he could fly across the sand or, if his jetpack couldn't sustain flight for long, make long, jetpack assisted leaps to where the Clunker was.

Keith landed in the middle of the patrol, paused, then leaped straight up again. The sentries closest to him, attempting to shoot Keith, fell a second later as sentries across from them shot just before Keith had disappeared.

Keith landed on a sentry's shoulders, throwing it to the ground. He sprang off it, slicing a close pair in half. He dropped into a roll, leaping to his feet behind a sentry and slicing this one as well. He spun and drove his shield into a sentry before it could fire, then dodged backwards to avoid more fire.

Olia was impressed. Keith had single-handedly taken out almost a dozen sentries. Little more than half the patrol remained.

But the other two patrols were almost on him. While Keith's skills were impressive, Olia knew he wouldn't be able take on so many at once. She wanted to help, but also knew that doing so would complicate Keith's plan. She didn't have a jetpack, so she wouldn't be able to cross the crevasse.

Deciding that Keith would know when it was time to bail, Olia started making her way to the right. She still kept an eye on Keith, even though there was only five sentries left, and he was making quick work of them.

Olia was a couple hundred feet away, when shots started coming from the forest. She spun around, just in time for her to spot Keith suddenly jerk forward.

Keith whirled away from the remaining three sentries. One side of his jetpack was smoking, but he acted uninjured. He leaped into the air, jetpack sputtering in effort to get him high enough to back-flip over the three sentries. He landed heavily, and didn't take advantage of the sentries' seeming to not know where he was. He stared around, thrown out of his groove and losing focus. He raised his shield as the two patrols came into view, too far away for Keith to use his busted jetpack to reach.

"No, Blade, get out of there!" Olia whispered.

As if he could hear her plead, Keith turned and ran. He ran at an angle to keep his shield between him and the sentries, though Olia knew he would be vulnerable while he was jumping.

"Go, go," Olia whispered, starting to run herself.

Keith turned his back to the sentries to properly launch himself. He would need all the distance he could get to clear the crevasse.

In the next second, everything fell apart.

The sentries had been firing non-stop since their arrival. They were poor aim, though, constantly missing the fleeing boy. Until one must have gotten lucky.

Five feet from the edge, Keith spun off to the left. It would have just been one of his evasive maneuvers, if his pace hadn't immediately slackened to a stagger. His sword vanished as his right arm fell limp.

The sentries, sensing victory, stopped firing and came closer. Keith stumbled away from them to stand with his heels precariously close to the ledge, shield held out in front of him.

Olia didn't realize she was still running, until a tree brought her to an abrupt stop. Spots blurred her vision, but Olia forced her paws to remain steady while she watched to see what would happen. If Keith activated his jetpack, there was still a chance of him getting clear.

Keith glanced behind him, as if considering jumping still. He started to turn, his right arm still not moving.

A single shot came from the sentries. It hit Keith's shield, causing him to stumble back. Olia had to clamp a paw over her mouth as Keith flailed for balance on the edge.

For a second, it almost seemed like he would be successful. The sentries stepped closer to finish the capture. Olia lifted her pistol to defend her friend.

But then everything shifted. The sand under Keith's feet gave way. He didn't make a sound as his body toppled backwards. His shield arm reached out for the edge, and found nothing.

As silent and quick as a breath of wind, Keith fell from sight.

* * *

 **A/N: ...Yeah, Keith really shouldn't be left on his own, you know.**


	24. Sleight of Hand

**A/N: I'm sure I spelled something wrong in the title...**

 **Don't get used to such long chapters. The last two will probably be the only ones that length.**

* * *

" _What sort of sensors do the sentries have?" he was asking._

" _The basics. Motion and audio receptors. A few are equipped with heat sensors, but those are closer to the main fleet."_

" _So, your saying that if I stood still, they would think I was a rock?" asked a kidding voice._

" _No, Lance," responded the first explaining voice. "They can sense when something is different, and you would make a strange-looking rock."_

" _It would not be unheard of," said a female voice. "If there are enough other odd-shaped objects around, it is possible to blend in, if you can hold your breath long enough."_

" _Are you calling me odd-shaped?" came Lance's voice._

* * *

The memories had come in the moments that pain shot up his arm. As he felt his heels fall on crumbling ground, he glanced back. A hole of rock and earth fell behind him. Thick, gnarled tree roots seemed to reach out across the gap. He turned to better see the roots, when there was impact on his shield, throwing him off balance. He waved his arm for balance, almost catching it, when he saw the sentries getting closer.

He couldn't be captured. He needed to get back to the ship.

Subtly, he shifted his feet closer to the edge, and felt the ground give out from under him. He made a show of reaching for the edge, but let himself fall. He didn't make a sound, for fear of Olia hearing and turning back.

As soon as he was out of sight of the sentries, Keith turned off his shield and reached out with his good arm. His hand snagged on a root, jerking him to a painful stop.

Huffing through the pain now existing in both arms, Keith searched for a bit of earth or stone sticking out further than the rest. Once he spotted a rock poking out several feet close by, he shuffled under it as fast as he could, using thick roots as hand- and foot-holds. When he got underneath, he kicked the trailing roots along the walls around him to try and further hide himself. Then he pressed his body against the cool earth and tried to still his breathing.

It was disturbingly silent above, but it wasn't like the sentries had to actually speak aloud. Keith strained his ears, and thought he heard the tramp of metal feet, though it might have been his imagination.

While Keith focused on being invisible, the adrenaline was wearing off. He was soon painfully aware of the hit he had taken in his shoulder. While he had actually been ready to twist off from the start, his timing had just been slightly off. He had even pretended it had hurt more than it had at the time, but now that wouldn't be any exaggeration.

Keith pressed his forehead into the dirt. He shifted his aching feet, then heard a chilling _snap._

The support under his right foot gave way. His left foot slipped. His left hand, pressed simply into the dirt as there hadn't been roots close enough, gouged a hole into the earth, but did nothing to stop his falling anew.

Keith skidded helplessly down the hole once again. His hand clawed for another root, but anything he managed to close his hand on broke a second later. His feet scrambled for a hold, only to slip from anything they encountered. Rocks and roots scratched his face and scraped against his injured arm.

Finally, both legs hit solid ground and flew out from under him. He landed on his back, breath huffing out of his lungs. His head jarred against stone, sending his already spinning head reeling. His right arm fell over open space, dragging his mind to take action.

He instinctively rolled in the other direction, clenching his teeth when he rolled over his injured arm. But, he was now on someplace flat.

Keith opened his eyes -when had he closed them? Stone arched over him in a ceiling. It was dark to his left, and the light came from his right.

Keith started to sit up, only to gasp and fall back. His right arm was blazing with pain, and his left ankle felt wrong. Yep, he wasn't moving right then, Keith decided.

" _I'll rest… just for a minute,"_ Keith thought as his eyelids fell shut. " _Then… then, I'll find Olia."_

* * *

Something was rumbling. He shifted, half-formed thoughts of an earthquake disappearing as quickly as they formed. A moment later, he realized the rumbling was in his head.

" _What is that?"_ Keith thought blearily.

The rumbling increased. Something tentative touched the edges of his mind. Curious, Keith didn't resist. The presence became stronger, bringing a sense of calm with it.

" _Who are you?"_ Keith thought.

The presence rumbled. Was it… purring? An image formed in Keith's head, solidifying into an image of the red and white lion from Bel-Rath.

Keith mentally flinched away from the presence. " _Get away from me!"_

The presence retreated, leaving an echo of a rumble that melded into a steady thumping. The sound stopped nearby, then there was a voice..

"Hey, I found someone!"

Keith's thoughts faded briefly, then came back into focus to realize someone nearby was speaking.

"-wasn't here before," they were saying.

"I didn't think there was anyone here but us," said a second, gravelly voice.

"He's pretty beat up. He must have run into the Galra," said the first voice. "Nov, go tell the others that we found someone."

"Got it," said a third voice, followed by retreating footsteps.

"Give me your stick, Travis," said the first voice. "I'll make up a stretcher."

The gravelly voice replied, but Keith drifted off briefly, missing it. Something shifted his injured arm, shooting pain up it anew. Keith jolted, mouth open in a yell as his good arm swung madly up.

A hand caught his wrist, while the first voice commented, "Nice reflexes."

Keith tried to pull free, but the person holding him kept a firm hold on his wrist. He wretched his eyes open to glare at whoever it was.

A boy maybe his age was squatting at his side, holding his wrist. He had tousled tan hair, and friendly brown eyes. There was a scabby scar just under his left eye. He held a torch in his left hand, and Keith's wrist in the other. He offered Keith a smile while he laid his arm back on the ground.

Behind the boy was a tall insectoid with red armored skin. Yellow light from the torch he held flickered in his large black eyes. He had a pair of foot-long antennae where ears should have been that twitched as he studied Keith. Like the boy, he wore a brown tunic and pants, but not the light brown cloak the boy wore.

"Are you hurt?" the boy asked, drawing back Keith's attention. "Where did you come from?"

Keith stared at the boy, stuck on the first question. His head only sort of hurt. He could move his left foot, but only a little or it started to ache. His right arm really hurt, but that was about it.

Apparently, Keith spent too long thinking, because the boy leaned closer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, uh… yes, I'm fine." Keith pushed himself into a seated position with the boy's help. "I think I twisted my ankle and uh…" Keith looked at the fried armor on his right shoulder. "I was shot."

"Shot?" the boy leaned around to see Keith's shoulder, and his eyes widened. "Uh, yeah, I'd say you're right. Travis, did we bring any medical supplies?"

The insectoid shook his head. "No. We left those at the hideout, Matt."

"Matt?" Keith repeated. "Do you know Olia?"

"Oh, you know Olia, too? I thought you looked familiar," Matt said. "How's your amnesia?" At Keith's startled eyebrow raise, Matt explained, "Olia told me about finding you when you were in the pod."

"I still can't remember much," Keith said. "Bits and pieces, that's all. Olia's been calling me Blade."

"Good name," Matt said as he shifted around to Keith's other side. "Yikes, those Galra did a number on your shoulder. That's what happened, right?"

"Yeah. I forgot about the other patrols coming." Keith hissed when Matt tried to move the under-armor on Keith's arm. "Careful!"

"Sorry. It burned the skin, but I can't see what happened to your shoulder. We'll have to remove the armor to treat it properly. Do you think you can walk?"

Keith wiggled his injured foot, and found it hurt less. "I probably could."

"The more important question is," Travis cut in, "Was there anyone else with you? Our group was lucky enough for all of us to escape, but what about yours?"

"It was just Olia and I. I created a distraction, so she should be waiting back at the Clunker." Keith noticed Matt's eyes widen. "What?"

"I thought Olia didn't like company," Matt commented.

Travis cocked his head. "I have my ideas."

Keith looked at him, expecting an explanation. Instead, Travis crouched and started to dismantle the makeshift stretcher laying on the ground.

"Don't mind Travis," Matt said. "He either knows a lot of things and doesn't like to straight out say it, or likes to pretend he does."

Travis stood, now holding a large cloak and two staffs. "Olia has her reasons, I'm sure. If she wants to tell you, she will. It's not my place."

"How would you even know?" Matt retorted. "Olia never talks about herself."

"I met Olia during her time in the slave camps," Travis said shortly, handing one staff to Matt.

"Oh…" Matt awkwardly rolled the staff between his palms. "Well, I guess she has a right to her own secrets."

"We need to go, Matt," Travis said. "If Galra patrols are the reason he fell down here, they could still be in the area."

"I tried to make it seem like I didn't survive." Keith shifted his arm and winced. "Maybe a little too convincingly. I hope Olia got clear."

"Probably did. She's a scrappy Caneen, who's been in worse situations," Travis said.

Keith and Matt exchanged exasperated eye rolls when that was all Travis would say.

Matt went to Keith's left side and wrapped an arm under his arms. With Matt's help, Keith was able to get himself standing. A fresh wave of pain from his shoulder at the gentle sway of standing made him grit his teeth to hide his pain. He cautiously tested his left ankle.

"It feels better than when I first landed on it," Keith said, pulling away from Matt.

Keith wobbled on his tender ankle, but persisted with a few more steps. Silently, Matt held out his staff, and Keith gratefully took it.

"We should find Olia," Matt said. "Travis, meet up with the others and tell them that the plan should stay the same. Blade and I will meet up with Olia, and we'll leave during the diversion as well."

"We aren't getting far without our mechanic," Travis said.

"And neither is Blade without medical supplies."

"It's not that bad," Keith protested, even though he couldn't move his arm.

Matt didn't seem to hear as he stared into space. After a moment, he said, "We'll have to land briefly on Sandibar's dark side, I guess. We'll regroup and Te-Osh can decide if she wants Olia and Blade to join us."

"Don't you have radios or something?" Keith asked.

"Only for extreme emergencies," Matt said.

"I'll go now. Te-Osh doesn't want to wait for too long," Travis said as he turned away. Keith now realized that they were in the opening of a tunnel, rather than a cave. "Be ready to fly."

Matt nodded, then turned back to Keith. "Where's your ship at?"

"A few miles that way," Keith said, pointing toward the tunnel opening. "We landed in a cave, but that's all I know."

"There is a cave system in that direction. It's not too big, if it's the one I am thinking of," Matt said.

"And if it isn't?"

"Then we'll have to go above-ground. These tunnels don't extend past those caves."

Matt started down the tunnel, then paused. He went back to Keith and took back his staff, laying Keith's arm across his shoulders.

"I can walk," Keith said.

"It will be faster this way," Matt said. He started walking as he talking, forcing Keith to go along with him. "We've been sitting ducks here since the Galra ambushed us. Te-Osh set out a plan to blow up the Galra ships here before any more can arrive, then fly away ourselves while the Galra are grounded."

"I wondered what had happened to you," Keith said, deciding he wouldn't bother protesting the help for now. "Eni was able to tell us that your mission had been compromised, but we couldn't get any details."

"The merchant we've been going to for a special bomb decided he wanted to try and get on the good side of the Galra by turning us in. We escaped, mostly unhurt." Matt pointed to the healing cut on his cheek. "We thought this little outpost would be a good place to lay low, but the Galra must have followed us here. They attacked less than a quintant ago. They must have waited to see if we would call for others to join us."

"We were just clearing out the tunnels when Nov thought he heard something. We thought it was the Galra, but found you instead," Matt said. "What brought you here, anyway? Olia's never liked desert planets, because they remind her of home."

Keith explained what had happened since he woke up. From him and Olia sneaking away, the mysterious stone planet with underground geysers and freakishly large lizards, the Ckinook, the blue-mooned planet, and the memory of "Olkarion" that Keith had had afterwards.

"We came here, hoping for a location," Keith ended with.

"Olkarion, huh? From the information I heard a few movements ago, that is still under Galra control. Maybe that's what you meant by 'they,'" Matt said.

Keith didn't answer. Partially because the increasing pain in his shoulder with every little sway was making him breathless, but also because he was thinking.

"I don't think so," Keith said after a moment of silence, making Matt start. "I'm searching for someone, that much I know. They must be on Olkarion."

"If they are, they're under Galra control," Matt said, regret in his voice.

Keith narrowed his eyes. "You know where Olkarion is, right?"

"Yes, and the Galra forces are too strong for a two-person rescue team," Matt said. "They are too big a threat for even a proper resistance rescue team."

"I have to try," Keith said.

Matt stopped and forced Keith to turn to him. "Don't do anything crazy. Look, I know how it feels to be searching for someone. My dad and a friend named Shiro came to space with me. My dad was taken to another camp within a few movements, and while Shiro made sure I would be sent to a camp where I had a greater chance of surviving, it was with the act of taking my place in the Galra gladiator ring. Since I was freed, I've been hunting down anything to lead me to them. If I knew one of them was on Olkarion, I guess I would feel the same as you. Te-Osh would have to tie me up and send to to the other side of the solar system." Matt chuckled, and resumed walking. "But when it comes down to it, I can't risk the resistance being discovered because of two people. No matter who they are."

Matt's tone said he didn't want to talk about it anymore, so Keith changed the subject.

"Travis said you were a mechanic?"

"Hm, yeah. I like to fix things."

"Maybe you could fix the Clunker's radio," Keith said. "If Olia and I join you wherever you're headed."

"Te-Osh will probably send you two back to Kraydah's moon. Olia, if nothing else. We're headed to the center of what could be the resistance's greatest stand and Olia is… Olia."

"Distracted?"

"Exactly," Matt said. "I wish I knew her story. Everyone who does tells the others not to ask. I think Lt. Ozar knows, because I know he knows every time she sneaks off."

Keith thought for a moment, then realized what Matt had said. "What do you mean, 'greatest stand?'"

Matt opened his mouth to answer, then hesitated. "I've already said too much. I don't know much myself -only the officers do- but they don't want word spreading. Forget I said anything. Oh, we're here."

Keith was relieved. He didn't have any other ways to change the subject, and his arm was driving him to distraction. Matt had to sense how much he was hurting but thought it was his ankle, because he didn't let go of Keith's arm as they checked cave openings. Even when they found the cave holding the Clunker, Keith was the first to break away. Taking back the staff, Keith headed into the cave as fast as he could manage while Matt followed.

"Olia!" Keith called as he limped toward the still-open ramp. "Olia, you'll never guess who I found!"

Keith rounded the ship, then halted when he saw the interior. It was empty. Frowning, he limped inside, scanning the hold, though there was no place Olia could have been hidden.

"Are you sure she was headed back here?" Matt asked as he followed Keith inside.

"I was sure…" Keith sat on the bed to give his ankle a break. "I gave her enough of a head-start to get free of the patrols. Unless…" Keith closed his eyes. "She must have stuck around to make sure I would be fine. If she saw me fall, she might have tried to come help me, and got caught instead."

A gasp from Matt made Keith open his eyes. Matt was standing rigidly, eyes flicking around in thought. Horror slowly filled his face.

"If Olia was caught, she would be on a ship," Matt said.

"The ships the others are getting ready to blow up?" Keith asked, desperately hoping for a no.

Matt nodded, making Keith's heart sink. He walked with quick steps toward the cockpit and ducked underneath, talking as he started fiddling with wires.

"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" Keith asked, standing unsteadily.

"We wouldn't reach them in time," Matt said. "Any tools on this ship?"

Keith laid the staff against the wall, then grabbed the box of tools from under the table. With some difficulty, he managed to drag the box over to Matt. While Matt sat up to dig for the tools he was looking for, Keith used to wall to support himself to walk back to the table.

"If I can get your radio working again, we can contact my team," Matt said, too intent on snipping wires to notice Keith slowly sliding to the ground and holding his arm. "We scanned the ships for prisoners yesterday and they will probably think Olia is safe, so they might not think to check. Especially if they are rushing."

Keith nodded, figuring Matt wouldn't hear him if he responded out loud, anyway. He was quite intent with his tinkering, so like his sister…

Keith blinked. How would he know that?

Matt laughed, startling Keith out of his thoughts. "Easy fix! Honestly, she should have said something sooner." Reaching up from where he laid on the ground, Matt took the microphone and worked the dials for a moment. Once satisfied, Matt pressed a button on the side of the microphone. "Te-Osh, this is-"

 _Boom!_

The explosion was distant, but there was no mistaking the origins. Matt started to sit up abruptly, only for his face to collide with the bottom of the console. He dropped back to the ground as he gave a shout of surprise and pain.

Keith grabbed the table and hauled himself upright with his good hand. He took the staff again and went to help Matt, but Matt was already standing by the time he got there.

"Te-Osh, Olia might have been on one of those ships!" Matt yelled into the microphone.

"We checked before we set off the bombs," came the calm reply.

"Oh." Significantly calmer, Matt went on, "Well, she isn't where we thought she would be."

"You'd better find her fast, then. More Galra must be on their way by now, and there is a storm approaching," Te-Osh said.

"Wait for us?" Matt asked.

Te-Osh was silent for a moment. "We'll wait as long as we can. But we have to leave in the next varga, or risk being caught in the storm."

"We'll hurry," Matt said before switching off the radio. "Come on, Blade. We'd better hope she's nearby."

Matt went to their supply closet and dug around before emerging with a pair of what looked like broad, short skis.

"We can't take the ship out, or risk being spotted by any sentries that might still be around. Put these on," Matt said, letting the skis tip toward Keith as he turned to find another pair.

Keith tried to grab the skis, but his right hand only twitched. Panicking slightly, Keith automatically let go of the staff to catch the skis. The skis fell awkwardly against his chest. Keith grunted and reached to snatch the staff before it could tip over, but missed. As he leaned to try again, the skis started to slip down his arm. Keith jerked his arm back, but instead of catching the skis, only flung the skis away from him. Staff and skis hit the ground simultaneously in opposite directions, producing a loud clatter.

Matt jumped to his feet and spun around. Keith clamped his good arm to his side and tried not to wobble while Matt eyed the fallen tools, then looked at him.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"They fell," Keith muttered.

Keith crouched to pick up the staff, wincing when his right arm swung forward to jolt against the floor. Using the staff, he stood and tried to hide the extent of his injury.

Which worked about as well as trying to catch three objects with one hand.

Matt's eyes found Keith's limp arm, and narrowed. "What's wrong with your arm?"

"My arm?" Keith looked down, as if just noticing. "Oh, my arm. It's… just, uh…"

"It's hurt," Matt said.

He came closer and grasped Keith's arm before he could pull away. Keith gritted his teeth, not quite able to hold in a low groan.

"Can you move it?" Matt asked, ignoring the groan and gently starting to pull the armor off.

"My hand… a little bit," Keith answered shortly. He couldn't move away, as Matt wouldn't release him.

Matt had most of Keith's arm free of the white armor in short time. When he went to work prying off the armor on Keith's shoulder, though, Keith yelled at the pressure. His good hand clenched the staff, and he had to suppress a sudden urge to smack Matt with the metal tool.

Matt frowned as he removed his hands. "It's swollen underneath the underarmor."

"Then leave it," Keith puffed.

"We can't just leave it this way!" Matt exclaimed.

"Get Olia first. Then we'll sort out my arm," Keith said, trying to sound like it was final.

Matt crossed his arms and stepped back, wearing a "see-how-that-works-out-for-you" expression. Keith nodded, sure that was the end of it. He leaned down to pick up the skis, managing to forget to stay as vertical as possible. His arm swung forward and thumped against the floor.

Everything seemed to blur for a moment, then Keith was on his back. Matt was crouched beside him, shaking his head with a slight smirk.

Keith opened his mouth to ask Matt what he was so smug about, when the other boy held up the shoulder armor he had previously been trying to remove. Keith turned his head to the side, and saw his shoulder down to his underarmor.

"When you bent over, you passed out for a few ticks," Matt explained. "I took the opportunity to take off the armor and relocate your shoulder."

Keith frowned up at Matt. "What?"

"Your shoulder. It was dislocated," Matt said.

Keith turned his attention back to his arm. This time, when he tried, he was able to lift it off the ground. His hand felt clumsy and his shoulder ached, but not nearly as bad as before.

"Oh. Thanks." Keith sat up. "Now can we go after Olia?"

Matt put a palm to his forehead with a sigh. "And I suppose trying to convince you to stay here would be a waste of breath?"

In answer, Keith took the skis and started strapping them to his feet.

Matt rolled his eyes and stood. "Are there any medical supplies in this ship? Something to at least dull the pain would help."

"Brown satchel under the table. Or," Keith raised his head. "Try under the bed, I believe."

"Disorganized much?" Matt asked as he peered under the bed.

"Trying to avoid the Galra, plus a little wild Olia. We haven't had time to sort stuff out yet," Keith said. He finished strapping on the skis and stood using the staff. "This armor will be visible miles around outside. I'll find a cloak in case any sentries are left."

Matt nodded distractedly. He had both arms under the bed up to his shoulder, shuffling around. He backed up a moment later, holding a satchel in one hand. Hooking around the handle was Olia's box.

"What are you doing with broken Galra shackles?" Matt asked, having seen the contents under the broken lid sitting askew on the box.

"It's Olia's box. I've never asked her about what's inside," Keith admitted. He started putting on the light brown cloak he had dragged out of the closet, careful of his tender shoulder. "How do you know those are Galra?"

"I wore them myself for nearly a deca-pheob," Matt said, replacing the box under the bed. "Hard to forget."

Keith waited, but Matt didn't go on. He dug around the satchel before taking out a jar. He rattled the contents around, then held it out to Keith. Keith took it and silently swallowed one of the pills inside, watching Matt stare into space.

After a moment, Matt abruptly stood and put on his own skis. Then he grabbed two sets of poles that were leaning against the wall, and handed one to Keith.

"Let's go get Olia," Matt said, smile finally returning.

Keith grinned as he grabbed the poles.

* * *

"Olia!" Keith shouted into the wind, then had to turn and spit out the sand that had flown into his mouth.

Matt lifted the front of his cloak to cover his mouth as he yelled, "Olia, where are you!" Despite his efforts, he still gagged at the dusting of sand on his tongue.

"How long has it been?" Keith asked.

"Only half a varga. The storm must be coming faster than Te-Osh thought," Matt said.

Keith paused to catch his breath and scan the sand. The boys had headed in the direction of the forest where Keith had left Olia, figuring she must have hidden someplace along the way for some reason. It was slow going for Keith, as he tried to give his ankle a break between steps, resulting in long steps on his good foot and short shuffles on his bad one. His shoulder was stiff and sore, so he wasn't able to use his right pole very well. If there was an especially strong gust of wind from the left, Keith would almost tip over before catching himself.

At first glance, there was nothing but sand. But as Keith started to move back toward the forest, something caught his eye. He paused and turned toward the vague, distant smudge drifting toward the sky.

"Is that smoke?" Keith asked, pointing.

Matt turned and squinted. "...maybe. Hard to say. Could just be dirt blowing."

"No, it's moving too slowly," Keith said, before the wind picked up further, causing the wisp to vanish. "That had to be smoke. Galra?"

Matt shook his head. "Sentries would have no reason to make a fire, and the ships we blew up were hidden in the forest. It's something else."

"Olia!"

"But why would she make a fire in the middle of the desert?" Matt asked. He and Keith braced themselves against a gust of wind from behind. "Especially just before a storm?"

"I don't know, but someone's out there," Keith said, already skiing forward.

"The storm's coming pretty fast," Matt commented, prompting Keith to look over his shoulder.

Far in the distance, past the forest, everything was tan. The sky was no different then the ground, and the sun was dimmed behind that wall of sand that was undoubtedly getting closer.

"Then we'd better hurry!"

The boys set off at a quick pace. Choosing speed over pain, Keith didn't let himself favor his injured ankle. Instead, he pushed off hard with every other step, flashing pain up his leg that he told himself to ignore. His right arm was useless at this speed. His pole dragged along behind him, its webbed base carving a divot in the sand. He eventually freed his wrist from the loop on the handle and left the pole behind.

But the storm was getting closer. When Keith glanced over his shoulder, the forest was lost in the windblown sand. Facing forward again, he realized he didn't even know if they were headed in the proper direction! With the increasing wind, all trace of the smoke had been lost.

Too late to turn back, the pair pushed on.

The wind grew stronger and stronger. At least it was behind them, Keith figured, pushing them forward instead of back. Grains of sand trailed down Keith's back, somehow managing to work their way through the cloak's fabric. Mingling with the sweat, the sand became a gritty, itchy mess that Keith also chose to ignore.

A gust hit Keith unexpectedly. He staggered for balance, then felt his left ski catch on something. Loosing a cry as his ankle turned sideways, Keith crumbled to the sand. Matt immediately turned and was beside him in seconds.

"We can't keep going!" Matt yelled over the wind. "We need shelter!"

"No, look!" Keith said, pointing toward the object that had tripped him.

Protruding from the sand was a foot-long piece of wood. The end was splintered and still slightly green inside.

"Wood for a fire!" Keith yelled when Matt's expression remained confused.

Matt stared at him for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization. He and Keith scanned the surroundings, which was rapidly turning dark and sandy.

"There!" Matt suddenly cried, pointing slightly to the left before choking on the sand.

There was a shadowed rise in the sand. Maybe just a stone, but it indicated something hidden beneath the sand. In between gusts, there was the slightest trace of smoke rising.

The boys -Keith now unable to bear much weight on his ankle now, and Matt still gagging on the sand- struggled upright. Leaning heavily on each other, they forged their way the final few yards before rounding the object.

It was a small wall of wood, braced up by a couple sturdy logs. Under its shelter was a tunnel in the sand with smoke drifting lazily up, before being snatched away by the wind.

Keith fumbled to remove his skis, then shoved them under the wall. While Matt did the same, Keith dropped into the tunnel.

The abrupt lack of wind was disorienting. While Keith adjusted to the stillness, Matt -spitting out the last bit of sand- dropped beside him. Sand drifted down from above, so Keith stepped further into the tunnel.

It was smooth and surprisingly compact, as the sifting sand became firmer a few feet into the ground. It was tall enough that Keith only had to hunch slightly over. The tunnel extended for a couple yards, then turned out of sight. Around the bend was a flickering glow and a low, indistinguishable sound.

Keith cocked an eyebrow at Matt, who shrugged and pointed down the tunnel. Curiosity won out and Keith made his way down the slightly sloped tunnel. He peeked around the bend, hand ready over his blade.

It was Olia. She was hunched over a fire, stirring something in a collapsible metal cup. At her side was a flat slab of wood with something shining on it, and there was a pile of wood behind her. As she worked, a mournful mix of a howl and a hum came from her slightly parted lips.

"Olia?" Keith said, coming fully into the space.

Olia's ear twitched, but the only response she gave was a slight rise in pitch of that strange sound.

Exchanging a worried frown with Matt as he entered as well and noticed Olia's actions, Keith walked to Olia's side and knelt.

"Olia," he said again, this time accompanying the word with laying his hand on Olia's shoulder.

The reaction was instantaneous, and not what Keith was expected.

A terrified shriek erupted from Olia's mouth as she sprang away from Keith's hand. She crashed into the sandy wall. She scrabbled to her feet and whirled to face Keith with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

For a second, Keith was afraid that he would have to deal with a feral Olia again, when her expression cleared.

"B-Blade? Is that really you?" Olia asked tentatively.

"Yep, it's really- _oof_!" Keith's confirmation was cut off when Olia flung herself at him.

Knocked off-balance, Keith fell to the ground with Olia on top of him. Her arms were wrapped tight around his middle, the pressure pulling slightly on his shoulder, but Keith couldn't make himself tell Olia to let go.

Especially when he looked down at her and saw fresh streams of tears soaking her fur.

"Olia, what happened?!" Keith cried, afraid for his friend.

Without lifting her head, Olia gave a choked whisper. "I saw you fall. I thought you had died."

"I didn't, though. I'm fine, Olia. I had it planned from the start." When Olia didn't say anything else, Keith sighed and laid his chin on Olia's head. "I thought you were out of sight. I didn't mean to scare you."

Olia gave one tight squeeze, then let go. She stared closely at Keith, as if afraid that he would disappear on her if she looked away.

Keith sat up and pointed to the side. "And I brought someone with me."

Olia turned and gave another shriek -this one more joyful. "Matt! What are you doing here?"

"We were hiding out from the Galra. Not well enough, I guess. We came across Blade after he fell," Matt said.

Olia grinned, but a sadness remained in her expression. She turned away from the boys toward the wooden slab. Now that he was closer, Keith could now see the shiny object. He blinked, then leaned down.

It was a glass sculpture. Of him. One of the arms was missing, as if it wasn't quite finished, but the bottom half of the sculpture had intricate details. Keith could see every line in his armor, and on the one hand in place, each finger was definite.

"Did you make this?" Keith asked, incredulous.

Olia's paw went over the small statue. "...yes."

A small whine made Keith sit up. Olia's ears were flat and there was a disconcerting look in Olia's eyes. Keith noticed her other paw clenching her tail, her whole arm shaking.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked.

Olia frowned hard. "It's wrong, this is all wrong." Olia let go of her tail to tug on her ear. "It's nothing but bad memories and pain. This whole planet is bad! We have to go."

"Woah, we can't," Keith said, grabbing Olia's arm when she tried to stand. "There's a storm raging outside. We can't go anywhere."

Olia slumped back to the ground. In her careless act, her fore-paw swiped against the cup beside the fire. It tipped over, letting melted glass ooze out. Olia sighed and shoved sand over the hot glass. Without warning, she leaned against Keith's shoulder -the good one, luckily. Keith started, but relaxed and let her lean.

"I'm just so tired of losing," Olia whispered.

Keith gazed helplessly at Matt across the fire. Matt nodded and went to Olia's other side.

"Losing what?" Matt asked gently.

Olia didn't respond right off. The flames flickered in her eyes and her tear-matted fur.

"Everything," Olia finally said. "My home. My family. My sense of peace. Nearly losing my best friend."

Keith looked down, startled. He was her best friend?

"If it hadn't been for tradition, I wouldn't have been able to move until the sentries would have found me," Olia said. She reached out to pick up the glass statue. "But I couldn't let myself get caught until a proper memorial had been made. You aren't Caneen, Blade, but I don't know how humans remember those that they lose."

"That statue is a memorial?" Keith asked.

Olia nodded against Keith's shoulder. "Just as the birthsand pendant is made of the sand from the den we are born in, the deathsand statue is made of the sand where a Caneen has died."

Keith took a moment to process this. So the pendant he had found was probably Olia's. Who was the statue of?

Olia abruptly sat up to stare hard at Keith. "You have questions."

"Yeah, but… now's not the time," Keith said uncomfortably.

"What better time than when we are stuck here," Olia said.

"We'd understand if you didn't want to talk about it," Matt said.

Olia kept her eyes on Keith while she answered, "I do want to talk. I need to talk. I've kept it in for too long, and Blade deserves answers."

"No, really-" Keith cut himself off when Olia's expression turned soft.

"You are so like my brother, Anaka. He never liked to see me suffer. He's the only reason I lasted long enough in the prisons to be freed."

"What happened?" Keith asked softly.

Olia's head fell back to Keith's shoulder. Her paw grasped her tail once again as she started to speak.

"That is a story that's best started from the beginning."

* * *

 **A/N: Who's ready for Olia's backstory?**

 **I love stories where characters lean on each other or cuddle when their sad or tired. Double points if one of the characters are usually a stand-offish type.**

 **I will be going back to fix the descriptions of where they are, and what sort of things Olia has on her ship. I wasn't thinking during the start, and was moving too fast at this point to give more detailed descriptions of what the surroundings are like. So, the sand skis just kind of came out of nowhere.**


	25. Olia's Tale

**A/N: I kind of broke the norm with this flashback, by making it told in first person, and italicized. I really don't know what happened, aside from I love first-person narratives. Forgive me.**

* * *

" _I was born to the Sandloper tribe on planet Cana. My tribe was a medium-sized one, with three elders to lead, my parents, brother, and a dozen aunts, uncles, and cousins."_

" _Aside from a few tribes who kept to the trees to grow cotton and harvest wood to trade with the desert tribes, all tribes spent their lives wandering the desert-like expanse. We would only stop for sickness or the birth of a pup. Tribes were all sizes, and always changing. Caneen might leave one tribe to start their own or join others. Some tribes had only close family, others had Caneen many different families."_

" _Even though there were so many separate tribes and we rarely would mingle together, we were peaceful with each other. During harsh droughts, we would gather into large tribes to share watering holes and help search for water and food. War wasn't even a word to us."_

" _My brother, Anaka, was the youngest in our tribe. He was rather silly at times, but he could also be so serious. He could flip between the two in the blink of an eye. When he got older, he would act more mature, but he had his moments."_

" _Anaka and I liked to explore the desert sands by ourselves, even though we were told not to so often. Sometimes we got lost, but Anaka had a knack for finding his way home. I would have been jealous, but he was always helping me learn to navigate, even though he was younger than I."_

" _One day, when I was 54 and he was 40, we were exploring on our own, and saw something in the sky. It was huge and purple, and flying. Since none of the animals or bugs on our planet flew, we had no word to describe what we had seen once we raced back to the tribe. But the thing became clear to the rest of the tribe soon enough."_

" _It would be some time before I learned that the thing was called a cruiser. At the time, I only knew -like my tribe- that the thing in the sky was unnatural and getting closer. Some thought the world was ending… in a way, it was."_

" _The cruiser landed in the desert, drawing some of the tribes to investigate. The elders of my tribe, along with my father and an uncle went to investigate. I… I haven't seen any of them since."_

" _I was not close enough to see, but some investigating for another tribe told the others what happened next."_

" _The Caneen chosen to see what the cruiser was gathered around the ship. A door opened and strangers came out. The Caneen tried to speak with them, but the strangers -sentries, I now believe- silently forced them all to go inside. Then, in a blast of flame brighter and louder than any thunderstorm I had ever encountered, the cruiser lifted back into the sky and stayed there."_

" _The tribes started to gather together, upset about their missing members. We scoured the desert, somehow thinking they had simply wandered off or something. After a pheob of finding nothing, we tried to decide what the strangers were doing. Foolishly, we supposed they were speaking with our friends and family about joining our tribes or gaining permission for their tribes to live on Cana as well."_

" _When the cruiser descended once again, we all eagerly gathered to see what decisions had been made. The ship landed before a hundred tribes of gathered Caneen. We were expected our tribemates to emerge, but it was only those silent strangers, who also herded us inside."_

" _We were gathered into a large room, with our missing family nowhere in sight. There was a stranger on a pedestal. He said he was a general in the Galra army, and that we were now under the Galra command. We were confused, but no one was really upset until he told us that we would not be returning to our home planet."_

" _We were outraged and finally tried to protest. But the silent ones knocked out a few of our strongest members, so we stopped."_

" _There was a huge window in the front of the room, and we could see that we were being taken further from our planet. Along with the cruiser I was on, there were a dozen other ships, probably loaded with Caneen as confused as we were."_

" _Quietly, the elders told us to do as the general told us. They believed there was some misunderstanding or this was some sort of tradition for the Galra, and that we could convince them to take us home later. With no knowledge or thought of fighting back, we only watched as we were taken further from home. But, then the Galra took away that last hope."_

" _A different sort of ship appeared, flying toward the planet instead of away. It had a pair of pincer-like objects on the front. A light began to form between the pincers, then a beam shot down to our planet. For a moment, nothing happened."_

" _Then, the planet started to darken. The green of forests turned brown and sickly. The tan sand became darker and darker, until it finally turned black. A great crack formed across its side, then a huge portion of the planet broke off and floated away. They had taken the quintessence of our home, turning our home planet into a lifeless, broken heap."_

" _We didn't know what to do then. We were taken to cells and placed inside. Most were placed individually, but I was lucky enough that Anaka was with me. We waited for, I don't know how long. We were fed by the silent sentries. We hardly dared speak or move; sometimes if there was noise from a cell when the general was nearby, he would fly into a rage and we would go hungry for a time."_

" _Sometimes, we would see a Caneen or two led by the small window of our cell. Eventually, the day came when the door to Anaka's and my cell was opened. Two sentries led us out of the ship alone, and to an unfamiliar planet with smoky air."_

" _We saw no more Caneen as we were handed over to another Galra soldier. He told us to hand over any possessions we had brought from our home. I gave my birthsand pendant to him, afraid of what would happen if I disobeyed. Anaka gave him a satchel of wooden toys and stones he had had the day the Galra took us."_

" _We were then taken to a cell. There, Anaka showed me that he had kept his pendant hidden in his thick fur. I was scared that the soldier would find out and be mad, and make Anaka hide it again, telling him to not speak of it."_

" _We were the only ones in the cell. Through the barred windows, Anaka and I watched the cruiser leave, knowing that we were the only Caneen who had been left."_

" _That night, other aliens were led into the cell with us. I was scared, but brave Anaka saw that they were just as frightened as we were and introduced us. He asked them what the Galra wanted with us, and when we could go home."_

" _For a few ticks, no one answered him. Finally, an elderly alien who called himself Ush told him that we couldn't return to our home."_

" _Ush was the one who told us what the Galra were, how they were taking over planets, and used slaves to gather resources for them. If an entire civilization was taken from a planet, it meant there was nothing there for the Galra to steal but the quintessence. The people of the planet was then divided up onto different planets, so that they could not gather courage from their friends and family."_

" _On the planet we had found ourselves on, we would have to gather coal for the Galra's fires. Luckily for Anaka and I, we were strong from our times of running and digging on Cana. I was sent into the mines to haul out bags of coal, and Anaka worked with other young ones, taking out the rocks that had fallen in with the coal. When Anake turned 54, he joined me in the mines."_

" _The work was hard, dirty, and scary. Sometimes, tunnels would collapse without warning, or piles of coal would catch fire from a spark of a careless pick hitting stone wrong. Every moment, I feared for my life."_

" _Somehow, Anaka didn't let this get him down. He was always there to help me if I had a load too heavy, and to help me walk back to the cells if my paw had been hurt by stone. Slaves were whipped or given no food if we didn't work hard enough, and Anaka did his best to make sure that I -or even any others in our group- didn't suffer. Even in the stuffy mines, Anaka's fur remained fluffy enough that he could hide food to smuggle to the punished slaves."_

" _Not that I didn't suffer. On my first days, when I didn't know what I was doing, not a day went by without my feeling a whip on my back. Even by the time Anaka joined me, I wasn't spared. Sometimes, my only fault was that my bag wasn't full enough. On some days, I was too tired and would drop my bag. If an overseer was nearby, I would feel the sting for days afterward."_

" _One day, when I was forced to work despite being sick, I collapsed in the mine. I was sure that would be the end of me. But Anaka hid me in the cave, then worked twice as hard hauling so that my absence wouldn't be missed. That night, he practically dragged me to the cells and gave me all of his food. Luckily, I was well enough to work by the next day. Slaves too weak or old to work the mines were taken to other camps. While the work might have been simpler, I couldn't stand to leave my little brother."_

" _Anaka was a legend after six deca-pheobs in the mine. He appeared to work at the same rate as us, but he helped every other slave like he had helped me when I was sick at least once. The Galra didn't pay too close attention to who was hauling coal, as long as the daily amount was harvested and no one stumbled within their sight. Anaka could go for vargas. He was always upbeat and ready, but had the sense to act tired and scared whenever the Galra were around."_

" _We saw many slaves come and go, but no other Caneen. Anaka made friends with the slaves, especially with a Skronian named Travis around 24 deca-pheobs after we first arrived."_

" _Travis was a fire-manipulating alien. He was kind of gruff and mysterious about himself, but also really clumsy with his fire abilities. Skronians can cause fire on their skin and control other flames to a point, but sometimes they caught fire when startled. Travis started up three fires on his first movement, but Anaka helped him put them out and remain calm."_

" _After a bit, Travis proved himself especially useful since the Skronians could also put out flames. As long as he was around, there was no fires in our tunnels. I believe that is the only reason that Travis was allowed to stay, once the overseers learned of Travis' ability. As long as he remained calm, he wouldn't start any fires and could put out fires started by others."_

" _By this point, Anaka and I were veterans at the camp. When Travis joined and settled in, we became a close group. Working together, Travis could cut out large amounts of coal while Anaka and I hauled it out. We heard that we were actually increasing the daily amount of harvested coal. This pleased the overseers, and happy overseers meant less whipping and fewer skipped meals."_

" _Ten years after Travis joined us, we had nearly forgotten our home Cana. We glanced over new slaves, knowing the chances of Caneen coming here was basically none. We worked hard, were strong and tough, and helped new slaves to settle into their new lives. We thought nothing of escaping or finding home. The mining planet was our home, and the slaves our family."_

" _Then, a strange slave appeared. She would only talk of worlds beyond the mining planet, and how there was a group of aliens called the resistance who would come and get her. Anaka and I told her what we had been told our first day: that she could not return home."_

" _The new slave, named Nov, smiled and told us that this wasn't the first time she had been captured. She had been freed from a slave camp twice before, and helped in many other escapes."_

" _Anaka and I only nodded. We had heard other slaves whisper about escaping, but no one had ever succeeded. Until Nov accepted this, we decided to keep her under our wing. She thought that was funny, since we were comparatively still children at the time, and she was grown up."_

" _I thought that after a few days, that would be the end of Nov's dream. But it wasn't. She didn't try to escape or plan to escape, but spent most of her time outside staring at the sky. She got in trouble a lot, but that didn't stop her."_

" _This went on for some time. Nov continued to insist that someone was coming for her, and that rescues took time to plan. By the time a deca-pheob had passed, she still hadn't given up hope and the other slaves thought she was crazy. Anaka and I thought this as well, until one night, when we were woken by explosions."_

" _The door to our cell was thrown open, and an alien with a gun and keys stood us. Nov got all excited and greeted him like an old friend. Then, she turned to us and told us it was time to fight for our freedom."_

" _I was too scared to move, and so were many of the others. Just mild acts of resistance had angered the overseers to extreme punishments, how much would we suffer for fighting back?"_

" _To my shock, Anaka stepped forward first. He told us that we were strong, stronger than the Galra who forced us to work. That they thought they were driving us down, but they were only teaching us to be strong. He told us that it was time the Galra saw what we were really made of."_

" _Not knowing what I was doing, I joined Anaka. Travis did next, then all of our group stood beside him. The stranger, a rebel Ozar, undid our shackles. In our haste, some -like Anaka- had only one side of the shackles removed, but we didn't spare the time to fully remove them all."_

" _Ozar led us outside, where other rebels were fighting. Some of the slaves had joined in fighting, armed with Galra blasters that the rebels had taken from the barracks."_

" _Our group was told to run for a rebel ship that would take us to safety. Anaka insisted on joining in the fight, as did Travis and I. While the rest of our group found a ship, the three of us were armed and given keys to open the other cells. We opened every cell, and convinced every last slave to join us."_

" _We thought that we were truly free then, but the truth was much more grim."_

" _Alone, the rebels were outnumbered. With the slaves, the Galra were outnumbered two to one. Except, most of the slaves wouldn't fight back. They were panicked and scared, and wouldn't board the ships."_

" _Travis left to help get the slaves to board, then Anaka and I joined the rebel fighters. We didn't have clue how to fight, but figured out how the blasters worked fast enough by watching the rebels."_

" _I don't know how long we fought. Probably not long, but it was a blur to me. Anger I didn't even know I possessed filled me at the blank sentries who had ordered my life for so long. I just wanted to get away."_

" _The two armies started to draw away. The rebels were winning, and most of the slaves had been evacuated. Nov called out to Anaka and I that it was time to go, and that we needed to get to a ship."_

" _Everything happened so fast then. Anaka was running beside me toward a ship, when he suddenly gasped. Before I could see what was wrong, he shoved me to the side. There was a shot, and he collapsed. I ran back to him and tried to get him to stand, but he would only fall whenever he tried."_

" _Rebels were running by, and one stopped to see what was wrong. I told him that Anaka couldn't stand, and he picked him up and carried him to a ship. Travis was waiting for us. He was happy when we first boarded, but then he saw Anaka."_

" _The rebel carrying him -I later learned his name to be Eni- handed Anaka over to Travis and said he would get medical attention for my brother. Travis and I tried to comfort Anaka and treat his wounds, but everything we did seemed to have no affect."_

" _Finally, Eni came back with supplies. He took one look at Anaka laying on the floor between Travis and I, and something changed. He had been calm before when he carried Anaka to the ship, but he suddenly became panicky. He inspected Anaka himself and wrapped his middle with a scarf that he had been wearing, then yelled that he had a bad one."_

" _I didn't understand. Anaka was weak, but he was still smiling at me. It wasn't until Eni had panicked that I noticed his hitched breath and how tense he was. I took his paw, and he squeezed it so hard I thought he would break it."_

" _Our ship broke off from the others and soon landed. Eni gently pushed me aside to pick up Anaka and told me to follow as he rushed into a rebel base. Kraydah's moon."_

" _I stayed at Anaka's head, telling him that we were free and that he would be up and about in no time. I took his paw, and this time, he didn't even have the strength to squeeze. I told him that it was fine, he was just tired from a long day. Anaka gave me that smile that he always did at the mines when I was scared."_

" _Eni brought Anaka into a room with a flat pod and laid him in it. Eni told me what it was for -healing injuries- so I tried to move away so he could close it. But Anaka wouldn't let go of my paw. With his free paw, he reached up and removed his pendant. He held it out to me, still with that encouraging smile."_

" _I took the pendant, telling him I would hold onto it for him while he healed. He nodded to me and let go of my paw. As the pod closed, Anaka looked straight into my eyes."_

" _His expression was so sad and tired then. He knew. I knew. I had known the moment Eni had panicked, Anaka probably had since he had first fallen."_

" _The pod sealed. Eni told me that everything would be fine, and asked if I needed anything. I said no thanks, and sat beside the pod to wait. Eni left Anaka and I alone in that silent room, saying he would be back to check on us."_

" _The pod began to beep. Gently at first, then louder. Others started rushing into the room, saying words I couldn't understand through the fog filling my head. They became more frantic as the ticks went on, but no one could do anything. Slowly, they stilled as the beeping ended. They gathered around the pod, realizing what I had already known."_

" _My brother was gone."_

* * *

 **A/N: And that, will be the end of the flashback. I would have described the following years of Olia getting the Clunker and exploring, but that felt anti-climatic.**

 **The scene where Anake gives Olia a tired look and she realizes that he won't make it, is based on a story a friend told me about her dog. The dog had been hit by a car, and she brought it to the vet. She said that the dog gave her that sort of tired look, and she knew the dog wouldn't pull through.**


	26. To Olkarion

**A/N: I hadn't intended for Olia to be so young during her time in slavery, but I wanted her to be about Keith's age, but still have spent a long time as a slave. It took me three timelines to figure out at what stage of her life that each event happened, then how old Anaka needed to be.**

* * *

"Forty years."

Keith started a bit at Matt's voice. He looked up from the sleeping Olia still leaning against him, to Matt seated across from him.

"What do you mean?" Keith whispered.

"I did the math. It's been forty years since Anaka died. Has she spent all this time by herself?"

Keith automatically squeezed his arm wrapped around Olia a little tighter. "I think so. She's never mentioned having company while scavenging."

Matt drew his knees up to his chin and stared into the fire. Softly, he said, "I can't imagine spending forty years searching for my father."

Keith didn't know what to say. He leaned back against the woodpile, drawing Olia gently with him. Olia grunted at the movement, but didn't awaken. Keith settled her once more at his side and stared into the flames.

" _Is that what Mikkal meant when he said that there were things Olia wanted to forget? And that she needed someone constant to help her?"_ Keith absently began to pet Olia's head. " _If I remind her of her brother, does that make her happy or sad?"_

Keith and Matt, lost in their own thoughts, didn't say anything else.

* * *

For the brief moments that Olia drifted between consciousnesses, she thought that she was back on Cana. The sand sifting through her fur, the rough graininess beneath her, and the head resting on her shoulder whose fur tickled her muzzle.

As she roused, though, Olia started to remember. She wasn't on Cana, but Sandibar. And the head on her shoulder was… Olia opened her eyes to discover it was Keith. Snoring softly, Keith was leaned up against her.

Olia sighed, ruffling Keith's hair. She turned her attention to Matt. He was half-leaning, half-laying against the wall, sound asleep.

She was thinking about trying to adjust Keith so she could stand, when Matt shifted. He sat up with a yawn and a stretch, eyes slowly opening.

"Morning," Olia whispered.

"Mornin'," Matt mumbled.

Matt peered sleepily around, before starting fully awake and standing. "I need to see if the storm's over yet!"

Matt dashed up the tunnel as Keith started to awaken at the sound of voices. As always, he snapped awake and glanced around. He focused on Olia for a moment before finally speaking.

"How are you doing?"

Olia shrugged, but smiled sincerely at Keith. Surprisingly, it felt good to have told her story to her two friends. She sort of wished she had tried that before.

Keith nodded, satisfied. He leaned forward to stand, only to gave a startled gasp and fall back. His left hand came up to grab his opposite arm.

"Blade?" Olia asked uncertainly.

Keith grimaced and waved her off. "I'm fine. My arm's just a bit stiff."

Something thumped against Keith's chest, then fell to his lap. It was the bottle of pills Mikkal had given them for pain. Olia and Keith looked up to see Matt grinning at them.

"The storm's over. We'd best get back to the Clunker, and see if Te-Osh stuck around."

While Keith took one of the pills, Olia shoved her supplies back into her cloak. She hesitated with her paw over the glass statue. The memorials were typically buried where the Caneen was buried or last seen, but she was unsure what to do with the memorial since Keith hadn't died.

Keith came to stand beside her. "Would… would it be alright if I kept it?"

Olia made a face. "You want to keep your own memorial? Wouldn't that be weird?"

"Not for humans," Keith said. "We treasure statues like that, whether in memory of someone lost or simply as a trinket. I'd love to hold onto it."

Olia handed it over. As long as Keith was okay with it, she didn't see any problem with it. Keith smiled at the little statue and tucked into a pocket around his waist.

The trio finished clearing out their temporary shelter, then headed outside. Olia had to push Matt up the entrance, then it took the both of them to help Keith climb out. Olia scrambled nimbly to the top and took a look around while the boys put on their sand skis.

The air was still now, with the smallest of grains of sand still drifting through the air. All around, there was only sand to be seen. While the camp was in sight of the forest, it would be hidden under a fresh layer of sand, making it practically invisible to most eyes.

"Which way?" Keith asked, confident in Olia.

Olia took another moment to collect her bearings. The forest would be off to the left of their current position, so Olia pointed ever so slightly to the right.

The trio set out, trusting Olia's instincts. As she padded across the sand, Olia realized that her earlier anxiety of the planet had lessened. With those feelings gone, she was able to enjoy the soft sand beneath her paws and the gentle breeze starting to rise.

A disgusted exclamation pulled Olia from her thoughts. She turned and saw that Keith was hunched over, spitting furiously. She couldn't help but laugh. Maybe planets like Sandibar weren't the best for humans.

* * *

Not long after, the trio had reached the tunnel that would lead to the Clunker. Sand had piled up just inside the entrance, so Olia went to work to dig the way clear.

"Do you hear that?" Keith suddenly asked, visibly tensing.

Olia sat back and shook her head to clear her ears. "Something's rumbling."

For some reason, Olia's response seemed to calm Keith.

Matt looked at the sky. "I hear it too. It might be Te-Osh and the others. Just in case, take cover."

They climbed into the hole Olia had cleared out and settled to wait. Within moments, the sound grew louder, then a small gray ship with a definite list to the left came into view.

"Ha, Te-Osh!"

Matt leaped out of the hole, accidentally spraying Keith and Olia with sand in his haste. Olia laughed when Keith gagged and started spitting again.

Matt ran into the open and waved his arms. After a few seconds in which Olia was afraid they had been missed, the ship slowly turned and landed nearby. The ramp opened as Matt ran over, and Travis stepped into view.

Matt and Travis spoke quietly for a few minutes while Keith got his mouth clear. Then Matt turned and ran back, his expression upset.

"More Galra are incoming. Te-Osh says we need to go now, and you two need to head back to Kraydah's moon," Matt said.

Olia lifted her head and saw Travis watching her. "Why?"

"Something big is going on. Travis said that anyone not headed in our direction is gathering at the medical bases," Matt said.

"And we can't go with you?" Keith asked.

"No," Matt said regretfully. "Where we are headed, any sort of distraction could be deadly. You have to head back to Kraydah's moon, and get your next move from Lt. Ozar."

"We'll go," Olia said before Keith could get out any more argument.

Matt smiled in thanks and started to turn away, but paused. "You have any paper and something to write with on you?"

"Duh, always."

Olia handed over a piece of paper and pencil over to Matt, who scribbled something on the paper and shoved it into Keith's hand.

"Maybe Lt. Ozar could help you put a team together," Matt said.

Before either could ask what he meant, Matt had turned and ran back to the ship. Travis watched him pass, then lifted a hand to wave to Olia, who silently returned it. The ramp closed, cutting off Olia's view of her two friends, then the ship rose toward the skies.

"We should get going, too," Olia said with a sigh. She wasn't looking forward to facing Lt. Ozar when she returned.

Keith, meanwhile, had been studying the paper with a frown. Abruptly, he gasped and held the paper closer to his face.

"They're coordinates!" Keith said shakily.

"For what?"

"Olkarion. My friends!"

* * *

An hour later, the pair was sitting silently in space. Having left Sandibar, Olia had simply flown without thought for a particular destination.

"So… we have the coordinates for where you think your friends are?" Olia said.

Keith, staring into space, nodded.

"And you want to rescue them?"

Another nod.

"Not by yourself, I hope."

"Are you kidding? I don't even have a ship. Do you think Lt. Ozar could help me get a rescue team together?"

Olia tapped a claw on the console. "I think we both know the answer to that question."

"...too risky?"

"Right."

Keith fell silent. Olia could hear the rustle of paper as he undoubtedly checked the coordinates yet again. Olia had memorized them herself, and briefly wondered if he did it because Keith couldn't remember them or if it was an unconscious act to him.

"You know…" Olia said slowly, wondering if she would regret what she was about to suggest. "Olkarion is about a day's travel from here."

"Yeah?"

"We could… make a little detour."

"Matt said it was heavily guarded by Galra. We couldn't do anything."

"We can observe. Maybe we couldn't free anyone today, but we could bring back valuable information to the resistance."

Keith turned in his seat. "Enough to possibly launch an attack?"

"It would be worth trying," Olia said, thoughtfully tapping the console.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Olia was only too happy to comply.

* * *

Olia watched Keith out of the side of her eyes. For the first couple hours, he had talked excitedly about… nothing in particular. He had run through his scanty memories -Hunk the mechanic, someone who got on his nerves named Lance or Chance, some sarcastic technician, and someone who he really needed to find but couldn't remember a thing about- a dozen times. He made Olia retell what Matt had told her about Earth.

He had gradually trailed off, causing Olia to realize he had actually talked himself to sleep. She wondered how much sleep he had gotten the previous night.

He had woken up with eight hours to go. He took over flying while Olia rested, then Olia had taken over for the last couple hours.

Keith had been a nervous bundle of energy ever since. He paced until Olia had told him to give his ankle a rest, at which point he organized the hold, tinkered with some of Olia's scavenged mechanics, and re-organized. He had finally settled back in his seat, staring into space silently. He had yet to take off the cloak from Sandibar and had the hood pulled up, making it impossible for Olia to subtly see his face.

After half an hour of silence, Olia couldn't take it any longer. "What are you thinking about?"

Keith's finger tapped the chair arm as he answered. "Wondering if this is really a good idea."

Olia chuckled. "Since when did you start worrying about how logical our plans are?"

"What if I'm wrong? What if my friends aren't really at Olkarion?"

"We can still get information and maybe free the people of Olkarion. Whatever we find on Olkarion, it will be a successful mission," Olia said.

Keith's hand formed a fist, which he pounded against the chair. "I feel like I'm just so close to remembering! Like the names of who I'm looking for is on the tip of my tongue. And before you ask me to stick my tongue out, that's just an expression."

Olia closed her mouth. After a moment, she said, "You've been having little breakthroughs, you'll remember in time."

Keith groaned. "It hurts to try to remember!"

"Stop trying," Olia reminded him.

Keith gave a long-drawn out sigh. He slumped back in silence. After a few minutes, he abruptly leaned forward, causing the hood of the cloak to fall back.

"There!"

Ahead was a massive gaseous planet. Just barely visible past its edges was a trio of smaller planets. The two smallest planets -maybe moons to the third- were small and nothing special.

It was the middle, larger planet that caught Olia's eye. It had something like mountain ranges that reached into space, dividing the planet. The top half was flat and metallic in places, and the shadowed bottom part of the planet was lush with forests.

Olia checked the GPS. The medium-sized planet was Olkarion, the place they were looking for. She turned to Keith to catch his reaction.

If anything, he looked disappointed. He was leaning forward in his seat, frowning slightly with his brows creased.

"Doesn't ring a bell?" Olia guessed, recalling Keith using the saying before.

"No," Keith mumbled, sitting back.

"Well, we can land on one of the moons," Olia suggested. "We'll see if we can pick up any chatter on the radio."

Olia piloted the Clunker toward the moon on Olkarion's shadowed side. She kept as close as she could to the gas planet so the ship couldn't be caught on scanners, then zipped over to the moon when it hid them from sight of the developed section of Olkarion.

The whole time that she was settling the Clunker, she watched the stony surroundings that was concerningly similar to the planet with the purple beasts. She was expecting Galra to surround them any second, but there was no signs of ships or orders over the radio to surrender to the Galra. The silence was unnerving, and Olia could feel her fur standing on end.

"It's… quiet," Keith said in a low voice, apparently feeling the same.

"Way too quiet for Galra space," Olia responded.

"Maybe they packed up and left?" Keith said, his expression a mix of relief and disappointment.

"They wouldn't leave a planet before taking all of its quintessence," Olia said, remembering her own planet. "They must just keep a low profile. Try the radio."

Keith turned to the radio and fiddled with the controls. He scanned multiple frequencies, but there was nothing but static.

"Weird, not even basic communication. I've never heard the Galra so quiet before," Olia said nervously. "Something is off here."

"Can we go for a closer look?" Keith asked.

"That's sounds like a very good way to get caught," Olia said drily.

"So, we're just going to sit here, staring into space because we're on the wrong side of the planet to observe Olkarion," Keith pointed out.

Olia sighed and grabbed the controls. "Okay, you win. We'll be quick."

"Halt!"

The fierce voice from the radio made Olia and Keith freeze. Olia saw Keith reach for his knife, then gave into instinct. Before the Galra could say another word, she

shoved the controls forward, and the Clunker took off like a shot.

"Turn off your engines and prepare to be boarded!"

"Please tell me that's just Eni pulling a prank," Keith said.

"I'm afraid not," Olia said, breath catching as a Galra fighter appeared from behind a stone column. "This place really is Galra patrolled!"

Olia threw the Clunker to the right, dodging under a stone arc when a second ship appeared. She scanned the skies for more ships, but only the two fighters remained in sight.

"We have to get out of here!" Olia said, turning the ship toward open space.

"No, we can't!" Keith protested, turning away from the port that he had been watching out of. "There's someone I need to find on Olkarion!"

"Sorry, but we've already been spotted." Olia winced when her evasive maneuvers took her in sight of Olkarion. "We won't be any help to them if we get caught."

"Then don't get caught!"

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Olia snipped.

"Let me drive," Keith ordered, standing.

"What? Why?" Olia asked, already sliding out of the way of Keith.

Keith took the pilot's seat and grabbed the controls. "Because you'll need both hands to work the guns and radio."

"Radio? But it's busted."

"Matt fixed it so we can transmit." Keith jerked the ship down, narrowly avoiding blasts.

Olia sat and wrestled the guns around. "Okay. That's good, but how does that help us in enemy territory?"

"Remember how I said that my friends are on Olkarion? That same something that is telling me that Olkarion isn't under Galra control."

"You… you want me to radio onto a hostile planet because you think they somehow managed to free themselves of the Galra, and the Galra don't know?" Olia shook her head. "You're crazy."

Keith turned away from his flying, a bright intensity in his gaze. "Just trust me."

Olia stared at Keith for a moment, then huffed. "Fine, fine! Just watch where you're flying, would ya?"

Keith nodded and turned his head forward, throwing the Clunker into a complicated set of dips and ducks to try and throw the Galra off their tail. The only things thrown, however, was the recently organized hold. The Galra were stubborn and too quick.

Olia turned the radio onto an emergency frequency and called, "Mayday, mayday! If there is anyone in range of Olkarion, please respond!" She waited for a moment, then went on, "There's only two of us, and we've got two fighters on our tail!"

Olia was thrown to the side as Keith dodged another blast. Keith glanced at her, his eyes wide and confused. Olia suddenly realized how much Keith had been staking on for a response from his friends.

"Somebody!" Olia growled into the radio. She threw down the microphone in frustration and turned to the gun controls. "Keep flying, Blade! Get them off of us!"

Keith narrowed his eyes and gripped the controls harder. "I was sure we would reach someone. Try again; I'll keep us in the clear.

Partially because she trusted his flying skills and partially because she was caught up in the same desperate hope as Keith, Olia abandoned the gun controls in favor of the microphone.

"This is Olia of the resistance," Olia said slow and calm, even as her three free paws were braced hard to hold her in place as Keith pulled a barrel roll under an arch. "We are a single ship with faulty guns. Two fighters are on our tail, and drawing closer. If there is _any_ friendly voices out there, please respond."

Still, the crackly static. Keith's face clenched as the seconds ticked on. Olia stared out of the main port, where Olkarion filled the skyline.

"Go back to the guns," Keith said lowly. "I was wrong."

Olia clutched the microphone more tightly. They had gotten this far on Keith's feelings and half-memories, she couldn't believe it had all been false. She opened her mouth for one last plea, when a cheery voice filled the cockpit.

"Hello, resistance fighters! This is Coran, how may I be of assistance?"

* * *

 **A/N: Just a slightly weird note here. Keith carrying around Olia's memorial of him is like the Caneen equivalence of carrying your own tombstone with you.**

 **-head banging- Don't mind me. Until Keith regains his memories, Keith will be called "Blade" when the story takes place in Pidge's perspective. I think. I'm not sure. Probably not. -resumes head banging-**

 **Oh, and in case it wasn't clear. The big deal event that Te-Osh's group is headed to is the planet that Pidge found Matt's "grave." I just have this headcannon that the resistance tried to gather at some point to make a huge stand. The Galra found out, and the remnants of the planet is all that remained. Some of the rebels, like Matt, managed to escape in time and went into hiding.**


	27. To the End

**A/N: Since I have nearly finished "Distant Memories," I just got really excited and decided to post the next chapter early. Enjoy! The results of my poll for which story is to follow will be posted in less than a month, in case you haven't voted and would like to.**

 **A comment by 15phantomrose11 way back in chapter 11 presented me with an idea that, initially, I wasn't going to use. But, the thought re-occurred to me, and it played a big part near the end of this chapter, and maybe a bit in the next. (Maybe, when I get crankin' on a major edit, some of the other ideas people gave me will be used as well.)**

 **I love typing those two bickering while flying.**

* * *

"Come o-on!" Lance yelled, his tone becoming a definite whine over the coms.

"Yeah, I don't think that will work," Hunk said.

"No, no, I think she twitched," Pidge said with a smirk. "Try louder."

Pidge heard Lance take a deep breath, paused, then let it out slowly. "Pidge's pulling my leg, isn't she?"

Hunk nodded. "Yep."

Pidge couldn't suppress her smile from growing, despite the severity of the case. In the two weeks since Keith had… well, the lions still refused to allow the paladins to go after Zarkon. On occasion, Blue or Yellow would allow their paladin to fly them if Galra patrols were getting too close, but aside from that, they weren't budging.

Lance was in the midst of his latest attempt to get Blue to move. But no amount of cajoling had gotten a response.

Blue abruptly rumbled and cocked her head back. Lance yelped, then Blue put her muzzle against the ground and opened it before lifting her head once again. Lance landed on his feet, but had to flail ungracefully to maintain his balance. Once he was steady, Lance planted his fists on his hips and glared up the the now motionless lion.

"You are a bad-"

Lance's scolding was cut off by the sound of footsteps. The three paladins turned to see Shiro enter the hanger. He had an eyebrow raised as he took in the three currently in armor and Blue.

"What are you doing?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Pidge pointed out.

Shiro shrugged, then waved for the others to follow. "The Castle's scanners have picked up something on one of Olkarion's moons. The princess is checking it out, but we should get to the bridge just in case."

"Just a tick, Shiro," came Allura's voice over the hanger's intercom. "There is indeed a ship out there. They have just contacted us."

"Who is it?" Shiro asked.

"We haven't responded. Just a moment."

The paladins waited, then a crackly voice was heard.

"-got two fighters on our tail!" There was a yelp, then a pause before the speaker went on in a frustrated tone. "Somebody!" Something crashed, then the voice became a bit distant. "Keep flying, Blade! Get them off of us!"

"I was sure we would reach someone," said a second voice, most likely Blade. "Try again; I'll keep us in the clear."

Pidge started and stared at the com while the second person was speaking. There was a lot of static, but he sounded a bit like…

Pidge shook her head. She was just imagining things.

"Where is the transmission coming from?" Shiro asked.

"It appears to be from one of Olkarion's moons," Coran answered. "The scanners are detecting movement on the surface, but I can't tell if they are friendly or not."

The first speaker started again, causing the paladins to fall silent to listen.

"This is Olia of the resistance. We are a single ship with faulty guns. Two fighters are on our tail, and drawing closer. If there is _any_ friendly voices out there, please respond."

"Sounds sincere to me," Pidge said, glancing between Shiro and Hunk.

Shiro was the leader of the team, but Hunk had been the most outspoken since Rolo and his crew had tricked them with a distress call. After a moment, Pidge was relieved to see Hunk start nodding.

Shiro nodded back. "Coran, go ahead and contact them."

"Right away!" Coran said. "Hello, resistance fighters! This is Coran, how may I be of assistance?"

There was a shocked silence over the com, then a triumphant shout.

"Haha! Blade, you were right!"

"I told you, didn't I?" said Blade.

"Don't you get all 'I told you so,' mister," Olia snapped.

"Would you just tell them where we are already?"

"Well, _excuse_ me! It's not easy to focus when you're throwing us all over the ship!"

"Would you like to fly?"

Pidge noticed that Lance was staring at the com with a slight frown. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing as her: Blade's voice and comments sounded like Keith.

Hunk leaned over toward Pidge and asked in a loud whisper, "Do they realize we're still listening?"

"Oh! Right," Olia said. "How close are you to Olkarion? We're on one of the moons on the lower- hey! Watch it, Blade! You almost crashed!"

"But I didn't," Blade pointed out.

"Can you come help us before Blade kills us both?" Olia said.

"We'll try," Shiro said. "Coran, are any of the pods ready for flight?"

"I believe so," Coran said.

"Okay, then we'll have to use those."

Before anyone could move, though, a loud roar echoed through the Castle. Blue roared in response and stood.

"Not now, Blue!" Lance yelped, as the lions had on occasion trapped the paladins in the hangers to prevent them from going after Zarkon.

Instead of blocking the doors, Blue lowered her head and opened her mouth to Lance. There was a series of roars from the other hangers.

"What was that?" Blade asked, sounding nervous.

"What's going to get you safe," Shiro said. "Everyone, get to your lions!"

At the same time, Coran yelled, "Paladins! Red just left her hanger!"

* * *

"Lions?" Keith asked. Hadn't Olia mentioned giant robotic lions being there when she first found him? Maybe the red lion that had scared him so badly on Bel-Rath really had been his friend. Keith was about to ask if the "paladins" had been to Bel-Rath, when there was an explosion.

Keith was thrown forward, letting out a yelp as his still tender shoulder was jolted. Olia was thrown against the console. She shoved herself up a second later, yelling into the radio.

"We've been hit!"

Keith got the Clunker back under control, and was relieved to find it handling no worse than normal. But Olia wasn't getting any response.

"Oh, great, we lost the radio again!" Olia said in disgust.

"They know where we are, we just have to hold out long enough for them to get here."

"We're putting an awful lot of faith in a bunch of strangers," Olia commented as she got the guns into position.

"I think these are the people I'm searching for."

He saw Olia look quickly at him, but he couldn't let himself get distracted. He was almost skimming the ground to get under an especially low arc. Once in the open, he pulled up and changed direction. A quick check of the radar showed both Galra fighters still following.

"Why do you say that?" Olia asked, finally taking her first few shots.

Keith checked the radar. Still there. "I don't know. Maybe it's just me wishing… I was sure those voices were familiar." His attention wavered for a second….

"Blade, look out!"

Keith blinked, realizing they were too close to a column. He jerked the controls to the side, but too late. The Clunker shuddered and there was a loud screech of metal. An alarm began to blare as Keith struggled to control the suddenly lopsided ship.

"The right wing is damaged!" Olia reported.

"Don't worry, I've got it under control," Keith said through gritted teeth.

There was an explosion, making Keith jump. But Olia cheered a moment later, and Keith realized that one of the fighters had disappeared from the chase.

"One down, one to go," Olia said.

"Better get that last one," Keith said. His bad hand was braced against the seat, while the knuckles on his other hand were white from how hard he was pulling on the controls. "Whatever got hit on that rock is really throwing off the Clunker's balance off."

"Okay, okay, just give me a tick," Olia said, working on the gun controls.

Keith winced as he was forced to take the shaky Clunker higher into the open to pass over an arch. "We might not have a tick!"

Keith's grim prediction was proven true when the Clunker was struck from behind. Keith was thrown forward again and he thrust the controls along with the impact.

"Hang on!"

The Clunker dropped into a steep dive. Just before they would have hit the ground, Keith jerked the controls back. He felt the Clunker start to obey, but there wasn't the forced needed behind it. With a sickening crunch, the Clunker hit the ground. Keith pulled harder, and felt the smoothness of air.

But the Clunker felt sluggish in its movements. Keith checked the console and found one of the thrusters to be overheating. He pulled the Clunker to a stop and landed.

"One of the thrusters is damaged," Keith said as Olia sat up, still seeming stunned by the sudden development. "We can't outrun the fighter."

Olia shook her head and peered upward out of the port. "There's some stone arches above us right now. We have a dobosh before they realize where we went."

"We should hide," Keith decided, standing. "In her condition, the Clunker can't fly far or fast. The other paladins will be here soon." Keith noticed Olia freeze. "What?"

"You said 'other paladins,'" Olia said.

Keith frowned. Yes, he had, what was wrong with that? Right, because that would imply… Keith shook his head, feeling a pounding begin.

"We'll have to sort that out later," Keith decided.

"Wait," Olia said. "We can't just leave the Clunker and assume the Galra will leave us be until someone comes to help. While we were avoiding the fighters, we ended up on the opposite side of the moon again, so they can't see us now."

"What else can we do?" Keith asked, making his way to the hold.

He heard Olia take a deep breath. "We'll use the Clunker as a decoy."

Keith spun on his heel. "What?"

Olia patted the console with an expression of fondness. "I'll set up the auto-pilot to fly straight out to space. That will buy us some time. You gather our personal items."

"Are you-"

"I'm sure. I'll only launch her if absolutely necessary."

Keith nodded; there wasn't any more time for discussion. While Olia bent over the controls, Keith grabbed Olia's backpack. He snatched Olia's box from under the bed, and threw in his discarded armor as well. He ran to the back and opened the ramp to set the pack outside. As he did, he happened to glance up.

"The fighter's coming back!" Keith shouted, running back inside.

The Clunker's engines hummed, and it shakily rose a few feet in the air. Keith backed to the ramp again, expecting Olia to follow. But she remained where she was, her motions with the controls becoming increasingly frantic.

"The auto-pilot won't set!" Olia said in a panic.

Keith glanced back. The Galra ship zipped overhead, then turned to circle back. If it hadn't noticed them before, it had now.

"Forget the decoy, we have to go!"

"I almost have it…"

Keith shook his head and started to take a step, when the fighter fired. An explosion rocked the Clunker.

Keith flailed for balance, stumbling backward to the edge of the ramp. He waved his arms and came nearly to a halt, eyes widening and breath catching when he saw Olia.

At the impact, Olia had staggered backward. She fell against the console, paws falling to catch herself. She did manage, but the effort had inadvertedly caused her paws to pull back on the controls.

The engines whined. Olia lifted her eyes to Keith's, mouth opening in realization. Despite being unsteady still, Keith lifted a foot to go to Olia.

And then the Clunker shot forward.

Keith felt his foot whipped out from under him. For a dizzying moment, his feet were in the air and his gaze skyward. The only sound was the Clunker's rattling engines, filling the air with smoke.

Then Keith crashed to the ground on his back. His mouth opened in a sharp exhale, then the back of his skull collided with something hard and pointy.

His vision blurred and dimmed, narrowing to the smoke as the Clunker veered and headed straight up. He focused on the line of dark smoke, thoughts fading as a memory surfaced.

* * *

 _He was surrounded by fidgeting bodies and excited voices. He was still and silent, a frown creasing his brow._

 _In the sky, now the size of a toy, was a white shuttle. A neat line of smoke led from the launch pad and the building beside it._

 _A voice echoed across the courtyard. "And a successful launch for the Kerberos team!"_

 _Everyone around him erupted into cheers. Everyone except for him. While everyone was excited about the new limits the team would be setting for space exploration, he saw it as someone he thought of as a brother to be leaving him behind._

* * *

Keith's eyes snapped open. The Clunker was in the open now; he had only blacked out for a few seconds.

He scrambled to stand. His hand knocked against something. He glanced down. His dagger had fallen from its sheath. He grabbed it, then felt something in his mind.

It was strange and uncomfortable, like something was twisting his brain into a knot. He groaned and clutched his head. The strange feeling relaxed, then there was a gentle pressing at his mind.

Keith resisted, afraid of the sensation. Yet, the feeling was almost calling to him. It was strange, but familiar. Hesitant but curious, Keith allowed the sensation in.

And nothing changed.

Keith lifted his head, and saw the Clunker curving upward. The guns shifted around. Olia was going to fire back!

Several shots rang out from both ships. The front of the fighter exploded into flames, and the Clunker's other wing lost a chunk. The fighter immediately veered off, and the Clunker seemed to slow and waver.

"Olia!" Keith shouted.

He tensed, ready to run, only for that strange sensation to flare up again. His knife glowed, then expanded to a long, slightly curved sword.

Keith stared at the longer blade, eyes widening. Names, places, planets, and tools flashed across his mind.

His name was Keith from planet Earth. He was part of Team Voltron, paladins who piloted their robotic lions in the war to free the universe from the cruel reign of Zarkon. He flew Red, and formed the right arm of the mighty warrior Voltron.

He remembered. He _remembered!_

"Olia, come back! I can-"

But remembering was always painful. There was a sudden wretch in Keith's mind, making him cry out and stumble to his knees. He heaved for breath as memories tumbled chaotically around in his mind, vying for dominance.

With great effort, Keith forced himself to his feet and squinted bleary eyes. The Clunker had picked up speed, plummeting toward the ground now. Seconds later, it disappeared behind an arch. There was a distant explosion.

"Olia!" Keith yelled, making his ears ring.

And in that moment, something in Keith's mind snapped and all thought vanished.

* * *

 **A/N: ...what?**


	28. Red Paladin

**A/N: I may post another chapter this Wednesday again. The next chapter needs some editing, I think, so it all depends on whether or not I am pleased with it by Wednesday, and how much progress I get on the rest of the story.**

* * *

"Are you still getting a signal?" Pidge heard Shiro ask over the com.

"Faintly," Coran answered. "They have disappeared to the other side of the moon."

Pidge gripped the controls, keeping her eyes on the distant Red. Soon after the lion had taken off -apparently on her own- the transmission from the rebels had broken off. The paladins had rushed to aid them, but were having a hard time locking on to their location.

"I think if we follow Red, she'll lead us to them," Pidge said.

"I wonder why?" Hunk mused. "She hasn't budged all this time. Why now?"

"It could be… that one of the resistance fighters is her new paladin," Allura suggested.

"What?!" the paladins exclaimed.

"Red needs a new pilot. Perhaps she has chosen one of the rebels," Allura said, as if the lions chose pilots every day.

Pidge frowned. Yeah, Red needed a pilot, but she didn't think she could handle a stranger taking Keith's place just yet. Especially if it was the one that talked like Keith. Which, actually, would probably be the one Red chose.

"I see smoke!" Lance said.

"A crashed ship?" Hunk guessed.

Pidge watched Red slow near the smoke plume, then move on. She angled Green to follow, while Shiro told Lance to investigate the smoke. A bit further on, Pidge spotted two more lines of smoke. Three crash sites. Three ships.

"We're too late!" Hunk cried, echoing Pidge's thoughts.

"No, wait. Look at Red," Shiro said.

Pidge tore her gaze from the smoke, to Red. She was circling an area that seemed slightly burned. After a moment, she flew between two stone arches and landed.

"Pidge and I will investigate," Shiro said, even as Pidge was moving Green closer. "Hunk, keep an eye out for us."

"Be careful," Hunk fretted, Yellow's head turning back and forth as he doubtlessly worried about Galra sneaking up on them.

Green soon reached landed beside Red, who was crouched with her nose close to the ground. Pidge hopped out of her seat and ran outside, where she noticed something brown in front of Red's muzzle. While Shiro carefully piloted Black through the narrow arches, Pidge trotted over to investigate.

It was a backpack. Normally, Pidge wasn't one to pry, but something had tipped it over and the top flap hadn't been secured. She leaned down, trying to get a good view of what was inside.

A metal box had slid partially out of the pack, revealing a scarf wrapped around a set of handcuffs, something shining, and a loop of rope. Further in the pack was something white that looked like a bit of armor.

"Pidge!"

Pidge jumped at Shiro's call. She turned guiltily, but Shiro was glancing around as if he hadn't noticed the pack.

"Did you see anyone?" Shiro asked as he came up beside Pidge.

Pidge shook her head. "Just this backpack. Red seems interested in it."

Shiro crouched beside the pack, but ignored it. He ran his hand across the rocky ground. His eyes flicked around, then he turned.

"They landed here," Shiro murmured. He stood and walked over to several burned spots. His foot hit something, and a piece of metal clattered across the ground. "They must have been hit, and were getting ready to leave."

"But to where? And why did they leave the pack?" Pidge asked.

Red straightened and turned her head. She rumbled, then launched once again.

"Here we go again!" Pidge said.

While Shiro headed for Black, Pidge grabbed the pack on impulse. She closed up the top and threw it over her shoulder to sprint up to Green and inside.

Pidge and Shiro followed Red into the air. She headed in the direction of the smoke, but hesitated about halfway there. She hovered, large head sweeping back and forth. While Red paused, Blue had caught up.

"Nothing but a crashed Galra fighter," Lance reported. "I didn't see any other Galra around."

"Lance and Hunk, you two check out the other crash sites," Shiro said. "Pidge and I will stick with Red."

Blue and Yellow dipped their heads while their paladins voiced agreement. They peeled off as Red settled on a stone column.

"What's she doing?" Pidge asked, watching Red pace across some arches.

"It looks like she is trying to find a way to the ground," Shiro said.

Shiro was proven correct as Red found a gap in the stone and slipped through. Pidge was quick to follow, but the hole was too small for Black.

"Get on Green," Pidge said, hovering her lion beside the hole.

Black opened her mouth, allowing Shiro to exit. He leaped down and, using his jetpack to slow himself, dropped onto Green's head. He turned to the hatch as Pidge popped it open, and dropped into Green's cockpit. Green then angled down and landed on the ground. She lowered her head and opened her mouth to let the two paladins out.

"There's Red," Pidge said, pointing. Immediately after, she cocked her head and frowned. "What is she doing?"

"You've got me," Shiro commented as the paladins approached.

Red was crouched in front of a pile of stones. The stones formed some sort of cave or tunnel, and Red currently had her whole head hidden. Her tail slowly trailed back-and-forth.

There was a sharp _clank_ , and Red twitched and slightly retracted her head. She gave a rumble, then there was a louder sound of impact. This time, Red fully pulled out her head, rumbling deeply. Before either paladin could speak, there was a shout from the rocks.

"Leave me alone!"

Pidge froze. The voice was Blade's, she was sure. Clear of static, it sounded more like Keith than ever. She shook her head, telling herself to stop thinking like that, and looked to Shiro for a cue on what to do.

Shiro had also halted. He was frowning slightly, but cleared his expression and walked up to Red's side. Pidge followed, curious about the stranger.

When the paladins were closer, Red once again lowered her head. Something came flying out of the cave to clang against Red's muzzle, making her jerk away.

Pidge snorted and had to clap a hand to her mouth when she realized what Blade had been doing: throwing rocks at Red. _Rocks._ At a giant mechanical lion! Whoever Blade was, he was brave, Pidge decided.

"Hello?" Shiro called. "Are you the resistance who was calling for help?"

A slight pause. Then, "Who's asking?"

"I'm Shiro. We're paladins of Voltron."

"Voltron." The voice mumbled to himself for a moment, then said, "I think I have heard of you."

Pidge smiled in relief. It was easier to convince aliens that the paladins where on their side, if they had heard of Voltron.

Shiro waved his hand. "Come on out. We can take you to safety."

At first, there was no sound from in the cave. Pidge started forward, but Shiro halted her with an outstretched arm.

A slow tapping indicated footsteps, then a figure emerged from the darkness.

The stranger was wearing a large tan cloak with the hood drawn up, hiding his features. All Pidge could tell was the figure was humanoid, with armored legs. One arm was drawn defensively across his abdomen, while the other hung loose in the folds of the cloak.

"Blade, right?" Shiro said, using a tone of voice one would use on a frightened animal.

The stranger inclined his head slightly. Whether or not it was in confirmation, Pidge couldn't be sure.

"Where is your companion? Olia?" Shiro asked.

Blade's hand came up from his middle to press against his head. "I… I'm not sure."

Pidge's eyes widened, while Shiro gave a terse command, "Hunk, Lance, we found on of the rebels, but the other is still missing."

"Are you okay?" Pidge asked Blade, noticing that he had started to wobble.

"F-fine," he mumbled unconvincingly.

"He must have been in the crash," Shiro said under his breath.

Pidge couldn't figure out why Shiro sounded so sad, then it clicked. If Blade had been in the crash, but didn't know where Olia was…

Red rumbled and shifted forward. Blade yelped at the movement and leaped away. As he did, he whipped out a familiar-looking knife and the cloak hood fell away.

Shiro made a choking sound. Pidge felt like her breath was stolen away as her legs went wobbly.

Keith glared up at Red without a hint of recognition in his gaze. He steadily backed away as Red moved her head closer. He accidentally backed into Shiro, who snapped out of his daze.

"Keith?"

There was a series of gasps over the coms. Hunk sounded like he was about to be sick, and from the way Lance was coughing, Pidge suspected he must have inhaled some spit or something.

Keith turned his head to Shiro and frowned at him. "Do I.. know you?"

Shiro yanked off his helmet, a desperate light in his eyes. "Keith, it's me! Shiro!"

Keith stared at Shiro for a moment with detached confusion. Then, in a blink, his expression changed. A delighted smile spread across his face and his eyes lit up.

"Shiro, I've been looking everywhere!"

Shiro smiled and was about to reply, when Keith abruptly lifted his arms and grabbed in Shiro in an unexpected hug. Shiro grunted from the force of it.

Pidge blinked. Keith wasn't much of a hugger at any time. And whenever he did, he was so careful about it that you almost couldn't feel the hug. But now, he was holding Shiro like a lifeline, making Pidge wonder what had happened in the last two weeks for him. She took off her helmet to get a better look at her friend.

Keith's gaze found her. His smile grew, which Pidge hadn't realized was even possible. She smiled back, but his next words made her stiffen.

"Matt, when did you get here?"

"I'm not-" Pidge stopped when she noticed Shiro shaking his head over Keith's head. She sighed and finished, "I mean... not long."

"Wait, Matt, too?" Lance's voice came from the coms.

Pidge quickly turned away to whisper to the absent members, "No, Keith is confused and mistaking me for Matt. I think he might still be in shock."

Pidge turned back to the others as Keith suddenly broke off the hug. He turned his head in the direction of the smoke, a frown creasing his brow.

"Matt, did you see the Clunker on your way here? Olia was going to use it as a decoy, but she couldn't get out in time."

"The… the others are checking it out," Pidge said, deciding to leave who the "others" were to Keith's out of order mind.

Keith nodded, satisfied with the answer. "I was headed there myself, but then _that_ -" Keith glared at Red, "came out of nowhere."

Pidge couldn't help but stare. How could Keith remember Shiro and Olia, but not Red? Not to mention the fact he still thought she was Matt!

"Let's just, uh… get back to the Castle," Shiro said, obviously as confused as Pidge. "We'll explain everything there."

Keith frowned and resisted Shiro's attempt to tug him over to Green. His eyes took on the baffled cloudiness Pidge had noticed when the hood first fell off.

"We need to go get Olia," Keith said.

"The others have it taken care of," Pidge said, silently willing Lance and Hunk to remain quiet.

"No, _I_ have to go check on her," Keith insisted.

"Keith," Shiro said with a sigh.

In the next moment, there was a sharp gasp over the coms. Keith flinched at the sound, jerking his arm free of Shiro.

"What is it?" Keith asked, staring at Shiro's helmet.

"Nothing," Hunk piped in, too quickly.

"That's it, I'm going," Keith said, stalking away.

"No, no! Leave it to Lance and I. The ship's totaled, but-"

"Hunk!" Pidge hissed as Keith froze.

"There… there was time for her to get out, right?" Hunk said weakly.

Pidge ran to Keith's side, ignoring Hunk. She was concerned by the disturbed gleam in his eyes.

"It'll be fine," Pidge tried to assure Keith. "Come on. Hunk and Lance have it taken care of."

Pidge put a hand on Keith's arm, but he jerked away. His frame wobbled, and Shiro came up to steady him.

"I can't," Keith mumbled.

"Can't what?" Shiro asked, drawing Keith's arm over his shoulders.

"I need to check for myself," Keith answered.

"Keith-" Pidge started, but stopped herself when Keith whipped his gaze to her.

"Matt, what if it was Katie?!"

Pidge flinched, inhaling sharply. Shiro looked at her in confusion, which turned to realization when Hunk spoke up.

"Who's Katie?"

"Matt's girlfriend in the picture you found," Lance said with a laugh that sounded slightly forced.

Shiro frowned. "Pidge, you never told the others your real name?"

"Wait, I thought Pidge's name was Pidge?" Hunk said, confused.

"I never did," Pidge choked out.

"And I didn't mention it…"

Shiro and Pidge looked at Keith, whose eyes had become distant. He frowned and lowered his head briefly, before meeting Pidge's gaze.

"Pidge… she's gone." Keith's face contorted. "Olia's gone, isn't she?"

"W-we can't give up hope," Pidge stammered, confused by Keith's sudden clarity of who she was. "She could still have gotten clear in time."

Keith shook his head, his eyes abruptly clearing to an almost feverish brightness. He pulled himself away from Shiro and turned to take two steady steps toward Red.

And then he collapsed.

Before Keith had even hit the ground, Red let out a massive roar that shook the stone columns. She lunged upright to put her open mouth beside her motionless paladin as Shiro and Pidge rushed over.

"Red will get us to the Castle the fastest," Shiro said.

Shiro handed off his helmet to Pidge, then scooped up Keith. The boy stirred, opening his too-bright eyes once again.

"Sh-shiro?"

Shiro shushed him as he hurried into Red's mouth. Pidge stood to follow, then a gleam in the grass caught her eye. Keith's Marmoran blade had fallen from his grasp.

"Pidge!" Shiro called.

Pidge grabbed the knife and darted into Red's mouth with Shiro and Keith. Red's mouth closed, then there was a brief sinking sensation as Red launched into the air. Shiro gently laid Keith across his lap, and began to feel his limbs and head. Pidge knelt beside them.

"I-I'm sorry," Keith whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Shiro grimaced as he checked Keith's head. "You've got some bump back here. Just lay still until we get you into a cryo-pod. Coran?"

"Already prepping one," Coran said in an unusually terse tone.

"I… a-abandoned the… t-team," Keith went on as if he hadn't heard Shiro.

"I don't know what happened this last two weeks, but I'm sure it isn't your fault," Shiro said.

Keith sighed, eyes drooping. Pidge watched him worriedly. This wasn't just shock anymore; something was really wrong with Keith. She opened her mouth to tell Shiro her concerns, then saw her own fear in his eyes.

Suddenly, Keith tensed. His eyes squeezed shut as he let out a groan of pain. A rumble ran through Red at the sound.

"Keith? Keith, talk to me," Shiro said, hurriedly leaning forward. "What hurts?"

"M-my head," Keith mumbled. "H-hit it."

Shiro touched the back of Keith's head, making him yelp.

"Sorry!"

Keith softly shook his head, he reached up with his left hand -he had barely used the right one since they found him- and grabbed Shiro's hand. Shiro wrapped his other hand around Keith's and squeezed it, while Pidge put her free hand on his shoulder.

"Everything will be fine," Shiro whispered, an undertone of desperation in his voice.

Keith gave a smile, but Pidge frowned. Was it her imagination, or had Keith gotten significantly paler in the last minute?

Time seemed to slow as Keith's eyes slipped shut. Shiro whispered his name, giving his arm a gentle shake. But Keith was unresponsive.

Then everything sped into a blur.

Shiro was shouting, Red was shaking, and Keith wasn't moving. Pidge's hand formed a fist as she stared at him intently, watching each weak rise and fall of his chest. One thought pounded over and over in her mind as she squeezed the handle of his blade.

 _Don't let him die._

* * *

 **A/N: Hunk's response to Pidge's real name is based on his commentary in the Paladin Handbook.**

 **Believe it or not, I'm not just being dramatic with Keith. He's hit his head quite a few times by now... I did my best with the symptoms.**

 **Over 8,000 views! I love you guys!**


	29. Three Promises

**A/N: Since I hadn't said it before (never occurred to me...) please don't swear in the comment section, or it will be removed.**

 **Random thought. Remember that big memorial on the planet that Matt "died?" Did anyone else see a Caneen among the figures? Or is it just me?**

 **I actually have several head-cannons in this chapter... Probably the most I have done without definite canon proof. I also ended up giving more background character names, as well. If you know the names they have canonly, please say something!**

* * *

"How did he even find us?" Lance asked. "How did he get here?"

No one had an answer, so no one bothered speaking. Pidge didn't move from her seated position in front of the cryo-pod currently holding Keith. She had her knees tucked up to her chin, and didn't take her eyes from Keith for a moment.

A cracked skull. That had been the diagnosis when Shiro had rushed their injured paladin to the med bay. Coran had scanned him and started babbling something about pressure on the brain. Shiro had put Keith straight into a cryo-pod.

Now, an hour later, Lance and Hunk had returned. Since there wasn't anything they could do for Lance, Shiro had insisted they continued their search for Keith's companion. Their efforts had turned up nothing, much to everyone's dismay.

"What has he endured since we last saw him?"

Shiro's murmured question made Pidge turn. He was standing beside a table with Keith's discarded armor and cloak. Shiro held up a piece of armor, showing its scarred surface to the others.

"He must have fought his way here," Allura said sadly.

Coran glanced up from a monitor to add, "In addition to the head injury, his left ankle was sprained and inflammation around his right shoulder suggests recent dislocation."

Everyone winced sympathetically. Shiro absently began sorting through Keith's belongings again, then frowned. He dropped his head as he reached into one of Keith's pouches that usually hung around his waist.

"Where did he get this?" Shiro asked, the amazement in his voice enough cause Pidge to stand and walk over.

In Shiro's hand was a four-inch glass statue of -there was no denying it- Keith. It was unfinished, but the details already etched into the glass was beyond anything Pidge had ever seen.

"So why's Keith got a statue?" Lance sulked.

"We made you one before," Hunk said.

"Of food goo! The mice ate it."

Pidge had to laugh at the memory. She turned away from the statue and back to Keith. Coran had assured everyone that he would be fine, but they all knew it would be some time before Keith actually woke up. Everyone was afraid to leave the room, though. Afraid that Keith would wake up alone.

So, everyone stayed.

Pide thought back to when they had first found Keith. He had obviously been confused, having mistaken her for Matt. As far as she knew, Keith had never even met-

Pidge gasped, eyes widening.

"Pidge?" Shiro questioned.

Pidge spun to face Shiro. "Did Keith and Matt ever meet?"

"Well, sure. I worked pretty close with Matt and Dr. Holt, and Keith…" Shiro slowly lowered his hands to rest on the table, his expression turning to confusion. "Keith was never with me."

"So, how did he mistake me for Matt, if he's never seen him?"

Shiro shook his head and regained control of his expression. "He's seen the picture of Matt, and heard about him. He must have just used the wrong name. He did call you 'Pidge' after a bit."

"Yes, but how did he know my _real_ name?"

"Are you sure you never mentioned that?" Shiro asked.

"No one ever asked my real name!" Pidge exclaimed in frustration.

"It took me a week to fully comprehend you were really a girl. No one mentioned you had made up your _name,_ " Lance defended himself.

"Maybe he heard it someplace?" Hunk suggested.

"Any of the cadets could have mentioned the Holt kids at the Garrison," Shiro added.

Pidge growled and stomped a foot. "There is another possibility, guys, that makes more sense."

"What?" Everyone asked, looking at the green paladin.

"Think about it," Pidge said, unwilling to voice her thoughts herself. "He mistook me -who he's spent months with- for someone that he's supposedly never seen. He asked 'Matt' when he had gotten here, and referred to something and someone I have never met."

The others only stared blankly.

"He must have seen Matt while he was missing!" Pidge finally said.

Pidge wondered if she should have kept the thought to herself when everyone's expressions turned sympathetic. Hunk had to turn away, his face was so sad. Shiro stepped forward and put a hand on Pidge's shoulder, which only made her scowl.

"Hear me out, Pidge," Shiro said before Pidge could speak. "If he had seen Matt while he was missing, why wouldn't Matt have been with him when we found him? The mind does strange things with head injuries."

Pidge pulled away from Shiro and left the room, glad when no one tried to follow her. She wandered the halls for a few minutes before coming to a stop in front of a large window.

As she stared out across Olkarion and what space she could see, Pidge considered what Shiro had said.

Sure, her thought was a long shot, but still possible, right? Matt had always had a "bigger picture" mentality then her, so there could have been any number of reasons that he hadn't stayed with Keith. Maybe he was needed elsewhere, or the ship wasn't big enough for three.

Pidge sighed and rested her head against the glass. All she knew was, that Matt was alive and free. For now, she just had to accept that was all the information she had on him.

"I'll find you, Matt," Pidge whispered, lifting her gaze to the sky. "I'm gonna bring you home."

* * *

How was he still standing?

Keith blinked his eyes open, confused by his own train of thought. He looked down at his feet and experimentally wriggled his left foot. It didn't hurt now to put his weight on it. That question solved, Keith lifted his head again.

He was standing in one of the Castle's cryo-pods, which explained his ankle and why his head no longer felt split in half. The front was open, so he took a couple wobbly steps outside, holding onto the side of the pod for balance. There, he was greeted by a -thankfully- familiar face.

"Keith, how you feeling?" Coran asked.

Keith gave a little shrug. "Better. Nothing hurts. And… and I can remember now."

"Remember?"

"I had amnesia." At Coran's blank look, Keith sighed. "I'll explain later."

"Does that have anything to do with mistaking Pidge for her brother?" Coran asked.

Keith started. "I what?"

"When Shiro and Pidge first located you, you were calling Pidge 'Matt,'" Coran explained.

Keith stared at Coran, wondering if he was trying to fool him. But, Coran's face was sincere. He was going to have some explaining to do.

"Where is everyone else?" Keith asked to divert the conversation.

Coran gave a fond chuckle as he pointed to the side.

Shiro, Lance, Hunk, and Allura had fallen asleep. Hunk seemed to the the designated pillow, with Allura and Shiro on either shoulder, the trio slumped against the wall. Keith couldn't be sure where exactly Lance had started, but he was sprawled across Hunk's lap -hugging Hunk's arm, no less- with one arm tossed across Shiro's lap and his legs across Allura's. The space mice were cuddled up in a line down Lance's back.

"Where's Pidge?" Keith asked, noticing the absence of the smallest member.

Coran pointed down, causing Keith to realize the missing paladin was leaning against the side of the cryo-pod, also asleep.

"How long has everyone been here?" Keith asked in a low whisper to avoid disturbing the others.

"For the last quintant," Coran informed him.

Keith blinked. "Really?"

"Don't look so surprised, my boy. You were missing for two movements," Coran's voice softened. "No one wanted to leave you alone."

Keith looked back at his teammates, now sharing Coran's fond look. After a moment, though, he realized that someone else was missing.

"Where is Olia?"

Coran cleared his throat, and Keith's good mood vanished before Coran even started.

"I'm sorry. Hunk and Lance scoured the land, but we couldn't find any sign of your friend," Coran said sorrowfully.

Keith closed his eyes, not willing to believe Olia was gone. After all they had gone through… after knowing him for such a short time… Olia had sacrificed herself for him.

He turned and started walking for the door, holding up a hand to Coran's protests. "I just need a moment. I'll be back before anyone wakes up."

Luckily, Coran decided to leave him be. By the time Keith had left the room, his legs were steadier. His pace picked up until he was jogging through the halls.

Unsurprisingly, Keith soon found himself in front of the hangers. Or, more specifically, Red's. He rushed inside and into the shadow of a sitting Red, who rumbled and lowered her head.

"I'll go back soon," Keith assured her, laying a hand on her muzzle.

Keith could feel her presence in his mind, and smiled. How had he ever forgotten her? Then again… Keith leaned away, a frown taking the place of his previous grin. There was still something missing. After a moment's thought, he realized what it was.

Memories.

While he could remember the team, there were some strange gaps. He could remember the days at the Garrison, but couldn't access any memory of the days after Shiro left. He remembered Arus, but when had they left? There had been an explosion and a fire, but what else? He knew of the Olkari, but what was their leader's name?

 _Ryner._

Keith glanced up at Red, his smile slowly returning. With Red and the team, maybe filling in the gaps would be easier this time around.

Of course, that still left the two week gap of him missing. He remembered that time, but still felt like there were bits he was forgetting.

Most notably, was Matt. Keith didn't know where the teen was headed, and the coordinates of Kraydah's moon -the best shot of a direction- was one of the missing pieces. Pidge was going to have so many questions, questions he didn't have an answer to. The only person with answers was gone.

Or was she?

Keith gazed up at Red. He thought back to Travis' confidence in Olia's ability to survive. Her own life testified to that. He didn't _know_ that Olia was really gone, right? The Clunker had been out of his view for a few moments; Olia could have gotten out. Maybe it was a hopeless thought, but Keith clung to it.

Keith leaned his head against Red's muzzle, murmuring, "If you're still out there, Olia… I'll find you. I promise."

* * *

"...nearest medical base?"

"At least a quintant, maybe two…."

"Do you think she can hold out that long?"

A brief silence, in which Olia fully dragged herself to consciousness. She was laying on a bed, or at least something flat. Her head and chest hurt, but the pain was dull and distant. Her left leg was numb.

"We have enough supplies on our ship, I think she will make it."

Olia pricked her ears, realizing there was two unfamiliar voices talking above her. And probably about her.

"Did you see that?"

Olia opened her eyes to two strangers standing over her. She was laying in a small room. Outside the door, someone passed, too quickly to make out.

"Ah, you are awake," said the taller, green-skinned one with a bald head that was slightly darker than the rest of his body, as well as darker green-gray horn-like appendages. Olia recognized his voice as the second speaker.

"I'll let the captain know," said his companion, a shorter, also green-skinned one, with four arms, a red bandana tied around her hair, and a scar sealing her right eye shut.

While the smaller one ran out of the room, the other pulled a chair beside the bed and sat. He smiled gently as Olia as he picked up a tablet from beside the bed.

"Hello, my name is Renus from the planet Olkari," he said.

"Olia Dustpaw of-" Olia grimaced and took a breath, "the Sandlopers. Planet Cana."

"Alright, where does it hurt, Olia Dustpaw?" Renus asked.

"Just call me Olia," Olia said with a chuckle. "My chest and head hurts some. I can't feel my left leg."

Renus nodded. "Good. We have already treated those injuries. Your leg was… badly damaged. We are doing what we can for it."

Olia lifted her head to see a very odd sight. A green tendril of vine was wrapped around her leg. Renus had a hand on it, and the vine was moving! Slowly, it twisted and untwisted from her limb, touching the skin delicately as if inspecting it.

"Old Olkari trick," Renus said when he noticed Olia staring. "It will keep your leg stable, and has healing juices in its leaves."

Olia looked up, excited. "I'm on Olkarion?"

Renus quickly shook his head. "No, praise Lubos. I was there when the Galra took over. Barely escaped a deca-phoeb ago. That place is still lost to the Galra."

Olia frowned. "So where are we?"

"On a resistance ship. We were passing nearby when we got your distress signal."

"But that's not right. Blade said the planet was safe!" Olia tried to sit up, but pain flared in her chest, making her fall back again. "Where's Blade?"

Renus looked down. "I'm sorry, there wasn't time to search for anyone else. What happened to you two?"

Olia tipped her head back with a sigh. "Our ship was damaged. We were going to use it as a decoy while we hid, but the auto-pilot wasn't working like we planned. Blade got to the ground safely, but I accidentally launched our ship again. We had already taken out one fighter and I soon destroyed the other, but the ship was too damaged to even fly by then. Just before it crashed, I jumped out with a parachute, but it was pretty useless that close to the ground. I remember hitting something and falling, but nothing after that."

"You fell into the Diron burrows." Olia cocked her head, so Renus explained. "They are a secretive, underground race. None of the Olkari actually knew of their existence, despite being just a short flight away. As skittish as they are, they can't leave someone in need alone. I crashed on their moon when I first escaped the Galra, and they took care of me until a rebel ship happened by. Anyway, you fell straight into one of their burrows. When my team landed to search for you and Blade, I went to the Diro. They gave you over to me. We were ready to search for Blade as well, but we spotted ships coming and had to leave."

"Is there any chance of going back?" Olia asked.

Renus shook his head. "I'm sorry, we can't risk it."

"Who's the captain of this ship? Surely, I could convince them."

"Have you ever heard of Captain Breck?" Renus asked.

Olia groaned. "Are you serious?"

Renus nodded. "But your friend, Blade. He wasn't hurt, right? There is still a chance that he will remain unfound."

Olia thought about that. "Well, I did play the decoy. There weren't any Galra around up to the time that my radar broke, at least. Do you really think he could hide until help comes?"

"I asked the Diro to keep watch for another stranger. They will protect him and keep him safe," Renus said.

Olia tried again to sit up, and succeeded in raising herself to her elbows. "How long until I can get on a ship headed that way?"

Renus lowered his gaze to her leg. His stare was quite intent, making Olia wish she had something to cover her injury.

"It will be several phoebs before you can even walk, I believe," Renus informed her.

Olia looked down at her leg again. She still couldn't feel anything. "Is it really that bad?"

"We won't know until we get a proper check on it," Renus said. "But I'm afraid so."

Olia turned her head to the side, where she found a window at her elevated level. She stared out into space, frustrated.

Frustrated that she was injured. Frustrated that Captain Breck of all aliens had to be the one to rescue her. Frustrated with the knowledge that Blade wouldn't have simply hidden when she zoomed off.

"I'll find you," Olia promised to the empty space. "I'll find you, Blade."

* * *

 **A/N: This was supposed to be the last chapter, but I found myself with too many loose ends to coherently tie up. I really wanted to do the focus on the three characters, so the discussions that need to happen will have to wait until the next chapter.**


	30. Never Forget

**A/N: Is everybody ready for the last chapter? What am I gonna do with myself now? -checks schedule- Right. Finish my other stories. Heh.**

 **Proceed**

* * *

"Keith!"

The voice screaming over the coms made Keith wince. Oops.

He had intended to go straight back to the others after visiting with Red, he really had. But on his way back, he had passed the kitchen.

His grumbling stomach reminded how long it had been since he last ate. Even the strange food goo sounded good at that point. He had paused for a light snack -Hunk was sure to go all out and cook a meal for him later.

But, apparently, it was with time he didn't have, if Pidge's shouting was any indication.

"I'm in the kitchen," Keith said.

Pidge made an indiscernible noise, then Lance started to speak.

"Oh, and she's gone! If I were you, I'd hide Keith. She looks pretty mad! H-hey, wait for me!"

Keith was left in momentary silence as the team presumably left for the kitchen. He hurriedly finished off the goo, standing just as there was the sound of footsteps and Pidge skid to a halt in the doorway.

Pidge didn't move for a second, staring intently at Keith. More footsteps signalled the others' approach, and Pidge finally moved. Keith winced a bit at Pidge's stomping steps, expecting a sound rebuke from her for leaving without waking them.

He was wholly unprepared for her to march silently up to him, and grab him in a tight hug.

Keith gasped, arms raising up in shock. He looked down at Pidge, taking in her tight hold and clenched eyes, before raising his head.

Shiro and Allura had relieved, but slightly reproving, smiles. Hunk was… definitely crying. Lance had his arms crossed tightly, his expression a little too neutral. Coran stood behind them, holding several handkerchiefs at the ready.

It didn't take long for Keith to get uncomfortable from the attention. He tried to step away from Pidge, but her hold didn't loosen. And the attempt only caused Hunk to make a squeak sound, and rush forward to join the hug. Keith grunted at the addition, but resigned himself to the fact that his teammates needed a moment.

Not that it made the situation any less awkward when the others joined in as well.

"Are… are you all okay?" Keith asked after a full minute of being smothered.

Pidge jolted away from Keith, dislodging the others. She glared up at Keith with red eyes and distinct wet lines running down her cheeks.

"Don't disappear like that on us again," Pidge said lowly.

"Um… I'll try?" Keith said unconvincingly.

"You'd better," Pidge muttered. Then, like someone flipped a switch, she grinned and said more cheerfully, "Now, didn't you say something about a feast when Keith woke up, Hunk? 'Cause I'm starving!"

* * *

Several hours later, Keith was alone again. This time, he actually had permission. Now in his old outfit from Earth, he had once again gone to Red, preparing himself for the questions he knew were soon to come.

What would he tell them? He couldn't remember coordinates to the planets he and Olia had visited -for the most part, coordinates hadn't mattered in their destination-less wandering- so he couldn't lead the team to any of those planets. He could remember the resistance bases, but with no coordinates or way to contact them, did that make any difference?

Footsteps distracted Keith. He turned to the door, slightly exasperated that the team would already be checking up on him. Pidge was standing there, holding a very familiar pack.

"How did you get that?" Keith asked, eyes wide.

"When we were looking for you, Red found it."

Pidge held out the pack, and Keith quickly grabbed it. He opened the flap, and hesitated. Feeling his legs shake, Keith carefully sat and pulled out the contents of the pack while Pidge watched.

First, his armor. He barely spared the battered armor a glance as he set them aside and pulled out the metal box. Keith pulled out Olia's scarf, and the shackles fell to the ground with a clatter. Keith scowled at them and shoved them away.

"Galra?" Pidge questioned.

"From Olia's time as a slave." Keith checked the box again, and felt his breath catch at the empty bottom. "Oh, no."

"What?" Pidge asked, leaning over, but Keith ignored her.

Grabbing the pack, Keith peered inside. He let out a sigh of relief, and pulled out the pedant and Anaka's statue.

"These belonged to Olia's brother," Keith explained. "The pendant, was made when he was born. The statue, Olia made... as a memorial when he died."

Pidge's eyes flickered from the statue to Keith's face. After a moment, her face twisted and she said, "Did Olia make the statue of you, too?"

Keith nodded, now understanding Pidge's expression. "Olia thought I had died back on a planet called Sandibar." Keith blinked, distracted from his thoughts of Olia. "Do you think you could find Sandibar on a map?"

"She thought you had died?" Pidge said, her expression turning blank.

"Yes, but it was fine. About Sandibar-"

"What did you do that she thought you had died?!"

Keith winced at Pidge's sharp tone. "I took on some sentries and let myself fall down a hole. It was nothing."

"Nothing? Nothing?! What if you had died!" Pidge demanded.

"But I didn't!" Keith shot back, starting to get frustrated.

"Don't be like that!"

"Like what?!"

"Ah-hem."

Keith whipped his gaze around to find the other three paladins had entered. Still angry with Pidge's insistence, Keith's glare didn't falter, causing Hunk to slide behind the others. Shiro, the one who had gotten the teen's attention, raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Keith and Pidge muttered, shooting glares at each other.

Shiro opened his mouth, then paused and seemed to take up a different line of thought then he had intended. "I know Keith's just got back, but it's time we prepared to go after Zarkon again. The lions are willing; we just tried."

Keith was about to question the willing lions, when Pidge made a choked spluttering noise. He turned to her in alarm, only to realize that her furious gaze had switched to Shiro.

"Keith almost died yesterday, and you want to go after Zarkon?!" Pidge screamed more intensely that Keith had ever seen.

Shiro raised his hands and took a step back, as surprised at Pidge's anger as Keith. "Pidge, you know we can't-"

"I can't lose him again!" Pidge snapped.

A brief silence fell, where Keith turned back to Pidge. What did she mean, "again"?

Surprisingly, Pidge's expression was no longer angry. She was frowning hard, and blinking rapidly at the tears forming in her eyes.

"Pidge…" Keith said hesitantly. "I'm fine, okay? But it's more dangerous to let Zarkon run free."

"I've already lost one brother," Pidge said unsteadily. "I can't lose another. Any of you."

"You haven't lost anyone," Keith said in slight confusion.

A tear tracked down Pidge's face. "Matt."

Oh.

 _Oh!_

Keith jolted to his feet to grab Pidge's shoulders. "No, you haven't!"

"It's been over a year." Pidge tried to shrug away, but Keith didn't let her go. "Maybe he wasn't captive however long ago that security video was taken, but where is he now? For all I know-"

"He's alive!" Keith cut in.

Pidge turned sad eyes to him. "We don't know that, Keith."

"But we do, really!" Keith insisted, raising his arms to gesture wildly. "I don't know where he is right now, but he is alive!"

Keith paused, noticing everyone was giving him strange looks.

Lance leaned over and stage-whispered to Shiro, "How hard do you think he hit his head?"

Keith glared. "I saw Matt two days ago. He's with the resistance."

The second he revealed his news, he realized that he probably could have thought through the delivery better. Pidge just looked more upset, Shiro frowned, and Lance and Hunk still wore "how hard did you hit your head" expressions.

Too late to take it back, Keith went on, "He's still out there, Pidge! Alive and well. He's become a mechanic for the team he joined."

Pidge gave a tiny smile. "He would do that."

Encouraged, he went on, "He helped me when the sentries attacked, and brought me to Olia. He would have come with Olia and I, but he said rebels were gathering someplace. I think they are preparing to confront Zarkon."

"That's insane. Voltron is the only thing that stands a chance against Zarkon," Lance said.

Everyone turned to the blue paladin. They knew what needed to be said next, but no one wanted to be the one to say it. Keith shifted uncertainly, but Pidge was the first to speak up.

"Then we'd better get out there, huh?"

"Only if everyone is okay with it," Shiro said, watching Keith and Pidge.

"Olia told me what happened to her in the hands of the Galra," Keith said. "If we take Zarkon down, it will be the end of his terror."

"And the safer the resistance -and Matt- will be," Pidge added. "I'm in."

"Well, then," Shiro said, seeming pleased with the response. "Let's head to the bridge. Allura, Coran, and the Blades are waiting."

While Shiro, Lance, and Hunk headed for the bridge, Keith gathered up the pack's contents with Pidge's help. Keith paused as he started to return Anaka's statue and pendant to the pack.

"Where did you find the statue of me?" Keith asked.

"In your armor pouches," Pidge said. "They are still in the cryo-pod room."

Keith closed the pack and slung it over a shoulder, keeping the statue and pendant in his other hand. "Can we stop by there on the way to the bridge?"

Keith and Pidge left the hanger. As he walked, Keith switched the pendant to his other hand and slipped it on, tucking the glass into his shirt.

Olia had kept the pendant as a reminder of home; the statue, for her brother. Keith was going to keep them to remember Olia. Whether or not he would be successful in finding Olia, he never wanted to forget her.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Corny ending, take two! I guess, technically, there is one last chapter. The epilogue will be posted next Saturday. And! The results of my poll are on my profile.**


	31. Epilogue

**A/N: I just really liked Regris... so, here is some of him.**

 **This part jumps ahead to just before season four. Oh, and there is a new poll on my profile for this story!**

* * *

Keith leaned against the wall, stifling a sigh of boredom. Regris, standing beside him, turned away from the small tablet in his hand.

"They will be here soon," Regris said.

While Regris -like the half dozen other Blades in the room, including Keith- wore his complete Blade of Marmora outfit and mask, Keith could tell he was smiling at his impatience.

"Leave it to the resistance to be late to every single meeting," Keith complained. "We could be done with this war if they would show up on time for once."

Regris let out a chuckle, his long, slim tail coming up to poke Keith. "We wouldn't have done as much as we have, if it hadn't been for resistance intel."

"I'd love to know how they are getting it," Keith mused. "Or, Pidge would, at least."

"Perhaps we can convince them to share some of their secrets. I am curious as well."

Keith snorted. "I tried last time. But Kolivan thought I was revealing too much myself and made me leave." For someone who lived by the phrase, "Knowledge or death," Kolivan wasn't always very keen on sharing knowledge.

"Do you know their names?" Keith asked as he started tapping the wall listlessly.

"Not this time. Apparently, this group has had many issues with Galra intercepting their messages. Frankly, I'm surprised they even agreed to this meeting."

"The rebel resistance knows they need our help, just like we need their intel," Keith said, drooping a little lower against the wall. "Now if they would just get here…"

As if on cue, Kolivan said, "They are here."

Keith immediately straightened, and Regris put away his tablet. The Blades turned toward the door. After a moment, the doors opened.

A group of unfamiliar aliens warily eyed the room before stepping inside. While Kolivan greeted the leader of the group -a short, frog-like alien- Keith'sbreath eyes scanned crew.

They were a bit of a ragged bunch, compared to some of the other groups he had seen. One of them had a large bandage over one eye, several had fresh scars, and overall, their outfits had clearly seen better days.

None of the rebels approached the Blades, but the rebels rarely did when they first met with the Blade of Marmora. Keith suspected it had to do with the masks that made the Blades close in appearance and their typically stern personalities. Keith considered himself and Regris -who's dry humor and tendency to get excited over tech- the exceptions.

"They have an Olkari with them?" Regris said, sounding impressed. "That must be how they have technology capable to intercept Galra transmission."

"Well, I don't think they will be introducing themselves anytime soon," Keith pointed out.

Regris needed no more encouragement. He and Keith approached the Olkari, who watched their every step. Once Regris took out his tablet and started asking questions, though, the Olkari relaxed. It didn't take long before the pair was talking rapidly in technical jargon Keith couldn't begin to understand.

Their conversation was lessening the tension in the room, and the other rebels were starting to disperse. Keith ran his eyes lazily over the group, halting on a tufty head of tan hair making its way through the other rebels. Whoever it was paused, then a muzzled head came into view abruptly, as if the rebel had stood on their tip-toes in search of someone.

Keith's breath caught, and he had to look away before the rebel saw him staring. It was a Caneen! Ever since he had last seen Olia, Keith had kept an eye out for any Caneen. But since becoming the Black Paladin and a member of the Blade of Marmora, this was the first he had seen.

"Renus!" the Caneen called.

The rebel that Regris was talking to turned and waved a hand. "Over here, Captain."

The Caneen weaved around a few others with a slight lurch in its gait before coming fully into view beside Renus and Regris. Keith, who had been about to catch his breath again, felt his lungs freeze up.

It was Olia. With new goggles and the same tiredness in her eyes that the other rebels had, but it was definitely her.

"Captain, this is Regris," Renus said. "He's the one who has been receiving our information. Regris, this is Captain Olia, our second in command."

"Pleasure to meet you," Olia said, holding out a paw. A grin split her muzzle, making her look more like her old self than ever. She turned to Keith, who hadn't moved. "And what might your name be?"

"C-captain?" Keith stuttered out.

Olia ducked her head, mischief in her eyes. "Captain, eh? Only go by titles, do you?"

Regris cocked his head. "Keith, are you alright?"

Keith's mind scrambled for a response his breathless lungs could get out, but came up with nothing. Instead, he mentally turned off his mask, revealing his face to Olia.

Regris stiffened. "Keith! Kolivan said to not remove our masks!"

Keith didn't respond. Olia had looked back up at him, eyes slowly widening. Keith flipped off the hood, earning a groan from Regris and a delighted gasp from Olia.

"Blade!" Olia cried.

Keith was pretty sure Regris was doubting his and Olia's sanity at this point. So was everyone else in earshot, who had turned at Olia's exclamation.

Renus leaned over and said to Olia, "Yes, he is a Blade of Marmora. That's why we came here, remember? Did you hit your head on the flight here?"

Olia gave an exasperated sigh. Keith glanced guiltily over his shoulder. Kolivan was watching them, but he didn't make any move to stop them. He had probably already figured it out, as he had heard about Olia before.

"My name is actually Keith," he said, turning back to Olia. "I remembered."

"That's great!"

Then, as if everyone around them wasn't confused enough, Keith and Olia gave up talking and grabbed each other in a tight embrace.

* * *

Some time later, the meeting was finished, and Keith and Olia finally had a bit of privacy to catch up.

At Olia's insistence, Keith explained what his lost memories had revealed, how he had been rescued by the paladins, and the events that had followed.

"But what happened to you?" Keith asked. "The others searched everywhere, but didn't find a trace of you."

"I fell into a Diron burrow. Did you know there was a colony of aliens on Olkarion's moon?"

"The Olkari never mentioned them," Keith said, confused.

"They must still not know about them. I didn't meet any of the Diron, but they are friends of Renus. You see, his ship had also picked up our distress signals. They investigated and found me, but couldn't stick around any longer."

"Where did you go? Why didn't you come back?" Keith asked. "I've been searching everywhere, but I was starting to think…"

"I wanted to go back, but I had been injured in the crash." Olia gestured down at her left leg, and Keith remembered how she had been limping since they reunited. "My leg was badly damaged, and needed serious medical attention."

"Didn't they use a pod? Or have you injured it since?" Keith asked.

"My injuries -though severe- weren't life-threatening enough for one of the limited pods. I had to heal naturally." Olia shook her head. "But, barely a month into my healing, the medical base was attacked. There were so few fighters to defend the base, the injured had to fight themselves. We ran off the Galra, but then had to evacuate. Without the proper time to rest, my leg never healed straight."

"And then?" Keith prompted. "Renus said you were second in command?"

Olia grinned. "I… may have been the one who rallied the injured to fight off the Galra. There were a few officers there, and they were impressed enough that they put me in charge of a small group. We later met up with Renus' group in the evacuation, and I joined on with them. Apparently, they decided I could keep my title."

"That's great!" Keith said, grinning widely. After a moment, he said more solemnly, "How have you been? It's dangerous out there, especially for rebels."

"It's tough," Olia admitted, glancing briefly away. "It seems like there's always someone on our tail, and rebel bases that are safe to rest at are becoming fewer."

"Have you… found any Caneen?" Keith asked.

"No." Olia sighed, the mood between the pair suddenly becoming sad. "No one I've come across has seen any others, either. The Galra must have them hidden someplace."

"But why?"

Olia shrugged. "We're tough and hardy, who knows. We can dig well enough that they could be keeping the Caneen in mines. There's only so many planets we can outright attack and successfully free." Olia gave a small smile. "Sooner or later, we'll get lucky."

"How about Matt? Did you ever hear what happened with all the rebels that were gathering?" Keith asked.

"No one ever said," Olia said.

Keith studied Olia. "You're hiding something."

"I only heard rumors…"

"Tell me."

Slowly, Olia answered, "Some were saying that the gathering was a disaster. Some have said that everyone they know who was headed in that direction hasn't been seen since."

"They could just be waiting, you know," Keith reasoned. "If they caught word about Voltron…"

Olia only stared at him. Keith opened his mouth to try and reason some more, but was interrupted by a beeping on his wrist. Absently, he lifted his arm and turned on the communicator.

"Yeah?"

"Keith, where are you?"

Keith blinked and looked down, startled to see Pidge's exasperated face. "With the Blades."

"We have a rally tonight. Will you be there this time?" Pidge asked in a tone that suggested she doubted he would.

"Y-yeah," Keith said. He worked up a grin. "I have someone I want you guys to meet."

Keith angled the com to show Olia, who waved a paw. Pidge stared at Olia for a moment, then realization crossed her face.

"Olia?"

"Yeah!" Keith said, pleased she had remembered. "She showed up at the meeting."

"Keith's told us all about you," Pidge said. She glanced over her shoulder. "The others will want to meet you. Will you both be at the rally?"

Keith smiled. "Yes, we will be."

"Good," Pidge said with a smirk. Her attention went back to Olia as she asked the inevitable question. "You know Matt, right?"

"Pidge is Matt's sister he always talks about," Keith explained before Olia could ask.

"You're supposed to be on Earth," Olia said, glancing between Keith and Pidge.

"Somebody had to come and drag Matt home," Pidge said with a shrug, though her tone turned more serious for what she said next. "Have you seen him?"

"Not since Sandibar," Olia admitted. "It's hard to get ahold of him nowadays."

Keith watched Olia, wondering if she was going to reveal their fears. But, Olia kept an optimistic expression.

"But, I do know of a merchant that he visited quite often," Olia said. "Perhaps he would have some new information."

"Really?" Pidge just about squealed out the word. "I'm going to need coordinates and names."

"I-it is a long shot," Olia said hurriedly.

"That's all I have," Pidge said, a bit grimly. "Every little bit helps. So, Keith, you'd better not be late again today!"

Keith smiled, giving Pidge a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Pidge made a face and, calling to someone behind her, signed off.

After a moment, Keith asked, "Do you really think the merchant will be able to help Pidge? You did say-"

"I know," Olia cut in. "I could be over-thinking it. Or maybe the officers have been keeping rebels away for a different reason. I want to find Matt just as much as her, but don't have the time or resources. The least I can do is contribute to his sister's search."

"If anyone has a chance at finding Matt, it's Pidge," Keith admitted.

"See? Everything will work out, just you watch." Olia grinned as she changed the subject. "Now, what's this rally that you so need to attend?"

"Not so much attend. More like lead," Keith said, starting for the door.

"Lead?"

"We fly the Voltron lions for morale purposes," Keith said.

Olia laughed. "Well, I hope your flying skills have improved since we last saw each other, unless you intend to raise morale with your spectacular crashing skills!"

Keith smirked. "Does that mean you don't want to risk flying back with me?"

Olia cocked her head and hummed in thought. "I suppose I really have no choice. How are the seatbelts in your ship?"

"Don't have any."

Olia's dramatic protests and Keith laughter echoed through the halls, drawing more than a few strange looks as the pair headed to the hanger.

* * *

 **A/N: It's... done. After six months, it's done! I couldn't have gotten this far (or this long) without all my readers. So! Time for some over-due acknowledgements.**

 **Firstly, Gravtron1, who's been commenting non-stop since chapter 16, full of enthusiasm for each new chapter and encouraging me to keep writing!**

 **Next, would be 15phantomrose11, for your idea that made chapter 27 so much better, and Wolf of Demise for your feedback! AndHamiltonwrotetheother51, RJLadyA, and Codename-SN for being the first reviewers; and Rosalinda Lancaster Leonhart and DerpyDino511 for being the first to favorite. Kippysaurus, who was late in the game, but just SO excited! And, of course, XYZArtemis for your enthusiastic reviews!**

 **Now for my followers and favoriters (not a word, I know): Gravtron1, 15phantomrose1, Wolf of Demise, andHamiltonwrotetheother51, RJLadyA, Codename-SN, Kippysaurus, XYZArtemis, 2gmailcom, Ash of The Blade of Marmora, Awsomeravengirl2066, Carethiel, Cogtio Ergo Sum, DanniMeamea, DerpyDino511, DeathStar5799, Donnie Doxic, DracheNadul, Dragon-Wolf-Mustang Rider, EarthFairy5366, Emerly33, EuphratesLeap, Immortalis Cruor Elf, Kistunefigher12, KnownRanger, LadyKittenZ, LeNolaNamiko, Liger48, LilyWatcher, Meganekko83, Miss-ClairIvy, Mistycharming, MoonLita26, Moonview, Oilirini, Owlgirl1209, Rosalinda Lancaster Leonhart, Rosie67, Ryo Shoma, Scarviex, Songbyrd44, Soullessginer00, The-Bookish-Stargazer, This-Lil'-Fan-Girl, Weaver of Lines, WordsWithoutFriends, Yuki-Hime-Aren-Walker, Zacatecas, 13, another piece of anime trash, dolphinlover96, duckreb, infinite, kricket is cool, tasarlaluminitsa, tsukiyomi83, ArashiWolf17, GreenDragon03, Marvelgirl16, Nw-NdA-H-JF, TrimusicaDrag00n90, Wolfcry04, figuregayter, kitta160, prussialiveson, shaneEgirlo, sno-story, Batsandco, and stn5**

 **And I can't forget all you silent readers out there. You don't fav., you don't comment, you just read... and judge silently.**

 **Anyway, love all you readers out there. Until the next adventure. -salutes-**

 **GriffTalon, out.**


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